The Astro Projecting Hacker
by imaginationnerdgirl
Summary: Caitlyn Johnson is not scared of much, except her ex-fiance. She works as a hacker for the best extractor in the business, Dominick. She is secretly dating a team member. When a job goes south and they are forced to take on an inception job. Caitlyn must confront her past and her secrets to complete the job. Can they succeed or will the team be doomed to fail again? Reviews Welcome
1. The Date

Chapter 1 - The Date

She sat on the elegant couch with her legs stretched out on it. The glow from her tablet screen illuminated her face in a light blue wash. Her fingers quickly tapping on the screen. She stared so intently at the screen she didn't notice that some on her black curly hair fell out of the messy bun she put her hair into, nor did she notice the door to her apartment opening. She jumped up when she heard the door close, causing the tablet to slide onto the couch. She grabbed her katana, which rested by the side of the couch and made her way to the entrance of her apartment. As she approached the entrance she heard noises of someone in the apartment. Then she heard keys hit the counter in her kitchen. There was only one person who had the keys to her apartment. She immediately leaned the katana against the wall.

"Arthur, you're early" the woman teased as she entered the kitchen. The tall young man stood there at the fridge, his dark brown eyes and short combed dark brown hair could not hide his loving smile.

"Is that why you are not ready?" He asked looking her up and down. She looked down at herself, she wore an oversized t-shirt and black leggings and she noticed the cold of the floor seeping into her bare feet.

"I'll go change" She said as she left the room and walked to the bedroom.

"Caitlyn don't take too long" Arthur yelled after her as he put away some groceries.

In her room Caitlyn changed into a beautiful red evening gown and matching high heeled shoes. When she entered the living room she saw Arthur standing by the couch with her katana in his hands.

"Why was this leaning against the wall and not in its holder? Did you think I was him?" There was concern in his voice as he spoke.

Caitlyn held back the tears wanting to burst out from behind her eyes as she nodded her head. Arthur could not see her cry, he would worry too much. Arthur hugged her tightly as she quietly nestled her head into his shoulder.

"He doesn't come here, remember? This is the one place you have all to yourself." Arthur whispered as they stood in the center of the room.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Arthur asked reassuring her as he grabbed her shoulders and looked into her emerald green eyes.

"No, I have been looking forward to tonight." Caitlyn replied with a smile and a glimpse of happiness returned to her face.

"Ok, let's go" Arthur kissed her on the forehead. He handed Caitlyn's her tablet and she slid it into its grey cloth case. Caitlyn grabbed her black leather purse as they exited the apartment.

A few minutes later they were seated at an expensive upscale seafood restaurant.

"Any ideas about a new job?" Caitlyn added in her normal upbeat tone as she sipped her glass of white wine.

"Cobb is working on it." Arthur responded after finishing a bit of his salmon dish.

"We need to tell him, we cannot be sneaking around like this." Caitlyn said in a serious tone staring at Arthur, "He needs to know. What if something was to happen when we are down there?"

"He has his secrets, we have ours" Arthur said as he hailed a waiter for their check.

"But the thing is we both know his secrets, even if he doesn't know that we know" Caitlyn remarked as they got up.

"What time is it?" Arthur asked

"a few seconds until 12:15" Caitlyn said as she checked her watch.

Their 3 hours had come to an end too fast. They had stayed at the restaurant longer than they expected, which at this point should be expected. Arthur and Caitlyn could talk for hours and hours without having a silent moment.

"Ready?" Caitlyn asked looking at Arthur

"Nope" Arthur replied over his breath. He then grabbed her by the waist, pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the lips. Caitlyn wrapped her arms gently around Arthur's neck and closed her eyes.


	2. Waking in Reality

Chapter 2 - Waking in Reality

When she opened her eyes, her vision was a little fuzzy, but it soon focused on the landscape painting in a golden frame on a muted pink wall. It took her a minute to realized where she was, in the hotel. She turned her head away from the painting to her right shoulder. She looked out the window, then down at herself. She pulled out the I.V. tube, got out of the chair and opened her grey tablet case. Inside was a black tablet and a faded hardcover book. Caitlyn took out the book and read the first line. She looked at herself in the mirror she wore grey slacks, a white short sleeved collared shirt, and a grey pinstripe vest; her black curly hair fell to her shoulders like a cascading waterfall. She was back in reality. She looked over her shoulder Arthur was slowly waking up, he was in his usual beige trouser and a long sleeved collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway, and a dark red tie. She glanced at the clock 09:15 pm beamed back at her in neon green. They had been under for only fifteen minutes.

"That was a lovely date, The Atlantis how did you know?" Caitlyn walked over to the seated Arthur, draped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"We were in your dreams, but I remember you talking about it." Arthur said as he lightly stroked Caitlyn's forearm.

"You still think he wants to get you?" Arthur asked looking concerned at Caitlyn.

"I did what I had to in order to get out. I sometimes wonder if that was enough" Caitlyn said looking out of the hotel window. The lights from the city was scattered across the vastness of the open unbuilt areas.

"I am sure it was. I won't let him hurt you again." Arthur had gotten up from his chair and stood behind Caitlyn putting his hand gently on her shoulders.

She turned her head to see the end table. There was a Glock 17 resting on the table and a katana leaning against it.

Caitlyn turned around to face Arthur. She put her right hand on his left cheek. Arthur leaned his cheek into her hand.

"Arthur, I..." Caitlyn started.

Arthur put his finger to his mouth, silencing Caitlyn, it was evident that he heard something. Caitlyn heard it too, footsteps slowing down outside Arthur's hotel room. Caitlyn hurried around the room straightening up the chairs. Arthur quickly put the I.V. tubes back into a silver case. They had just finished, when there was a knock on the door. Caitlyn unlocked her black tablet screen, illuminating the surrounding air in a white light showing a completed advanced search.

"Who is it?" Arthur asked the person behind the door

"Dom" A male voice came through the wood hotel door.

Arthur walked over to the wooden door and opened it. A man walked in, he wore black trousers, a black collar shirt, a black suit jacket, and a black silk tie. His blonde hair was combed back. His blue eyes looked around the room. As Dominick walked in Arthur closed the door and gave a look to Caitlyn.

"Looks like you two have been searching. Didn't find anything?" Dominick joked as he looked around the room. Caitlyn gave a look of relief back to Arthur. Dominick did not suspect anything.

"Did you find one, Cobb?" Arthur asked Dominick. Dominick "Dom" Cobb was the group leader, he was also an extractor, which meant he took information out of people's subconsciousness.

"Yeah, we are meeting the client tomorrow morning" He remarked standing in the middle of the room.

"Who is the client?" Caitlyn asked

Dominick turned to look at her, "Cobol"


	3. The Job

Chapter 3 - The Job

"Cobol! Really, Cobb? You have to be kidding me" Caitlyn look at Dominick concerned.

"What is wrong with Cobol, they pay well?" Arthur asked looking a little confused.

"David is their main architect for espionage jobs." Caitlyn said looking over at Arthur.

"And they don't like hackers so much." She added looking at Dominick.

She was a gifted hacker. She was able to hack into the FBI when she was 10, CIA at 12, and the US military services at 14. Then she went global hacking major corporations for money. When she was 18 she turned her hacking ability into the brain, she would break into the electric synapses of the subconscious to gain information and send electrical signals to different parts of the subject's brain.

"He won't be our architect, I talked to them. We will choose our own." Dominick replied trying to ease the concern on Caitlyn's face.

Caitlyn had known Dominick and Arthur for almost 10 years. She also became very good friends with Dominick's wife, Mallorie. Caitlyn's unique skill set made her very useful to the team.

"Who is the architect?" Arthur asked as he walked to the table in the room with files and started packing them into a suitcase.

"Nash is the only one available right now and we need to move on this." Dominick replied

"Where are we headed?" Caitlyn asked picking up some files and putting them into the same suitcase.

"Cobol headquarters in Mombasa" Dominick said as Caitlyn grabber her tablet and started tapping on it.

"3 tickets to Mombasa, business class and 3 hotel rooms by the city center." Caitlyn said has she finished tapping on the tablet's screen.  
She slid her tablet into its grey case and placed in on the bed, "We will be ready to leave in 10 minutes, Cobb."

"Very good job both of you" Dominick started leaving, then he turned his head to call over his shoulder, "Caitlyn thanks for the travel arrangements," with that he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Do you think he knows?" Arthur whispered to Caitlyn.

"No, he is too much in his own head, even in reality." Caitlyn replied staring at the door.

"Do you think he still misses her that much" Arthur said as he packed his stuff from the room.

"We all still miss her that much. I don't think he is going to get over it." Caitlyn said as she packed her things.

"You were going to say something earlier" Arthur looked subtly hopeful at Caitlyn

"Oh I forgot." Caitlyn said looking away.  
She was little nervous to tell Arthur how she felt about him, maybe Arthur won't react the way she wanted. She hadn't really thought about it before nor had she ever had the chance. They were either talking about other things or researching. They had been dating via dream sharing for the past year and a half. They hadn't told Dominick about it, they didn't know how he would react.

After she was finished packing her suitcase she turned to Arthur, who had also finished packing,

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah" his voice answered from behind her as she turned back to open the door.  
They wheeled out their suitcases into the hall, Arthur carrying a big black hard-cased handled create and Caitlyn carrying her grey tablet sleeve. They meet Dominick out the in the hall. They wheeled their suitcases out of the hotel, grabbed a cab, checked in at baggage and boarded their plane.

On the plane Arthur was seated next to Caitlyn, Cobb was sitting a head of them a few rows.

"Get some sleep. We need you rested, once you get a subject you know you don't stop until you found out everything about them." Arthur said softly as he held her hand intertwining their fingers.

"You are probably right" Caitlyn said silently yawning.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Arthur's shoulder. Arthur opened his book and began to read.


	4. Traveling to Mombasa

Chapter 4 Traveling to Mombasa

Dominick got out of his seat when the seat belt light was turned off. It was a long flight and he needed to stretch his legs, anything to make this flight seem shorter. He turned his head to look behind him. Arthur was reading a paper and Caitlyn was sleeping. Nothing he needed to worry about. The seat across the aisle from Arthur was open. Dominick made his way to the seat and sat down.

Arthur watched Dominick has he sat down. Arthur was still a little worried that Dominick would find out about him and Caitlyn. He cared about her too much to let Dominick fire her from the team. He carefully pushed Caitlyn's head to rest against the wall of the plane.

"What is going on?" Arthur asked turning to Dominick

"Nothing, it was just getting stuffy in my seat" Dominick answered loosening his tie. He always tried to look professional sometimes it made him feel claustrophobic.

"Did Cobol tell you anything about our subject?"Arthur asked as the flight attendant handed them both sparkling water.

"Is she asleep?" Dominick asked eyeing Caitlyn.

"Yeah she is out. Why?" Arthur looked to Caitlyn, she looked so cute when she slept, then back to Dominick.

"She is not going to like the contact we report to." Dominick lowered his voice to a loud whisper.

"Don't tell me it is David" Arthur groaned with disappointment.

David Morgan was a talented architect, designer of the dream space the team operates in, but his talent did not warrant his arrogance and dismissiveness.

Dominick gave an affirmative glance at Arthur.

"She shouldn't come with us to the meeting then." Arthur started to become defensive.

"Caitlyn can handle herself, we will be there too. She has grown so much since she last saw him" Dominick reassured Arthur.

They both were protective of her, she was the only one of her kind. They would have lost many clients and failed many missions if she was not a part of their team.

"Is he going down with us?" Arthur asked cautiously, did really didn't want to hear the wrong answer.

"No. I made sure of that. He will probably try, which is why Caitlyn cannot know until we meet David. She will be better suited to deal with the situation when she is not worrying about it beforehand." Dominick stated.

Arthur knew Dominick was right, but this was Caitlyn they were talking about and he didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her.

"Okay, I won't tell her. But you are the one she is going to get mad at when she finds out." Arthur replied sipping his water.

"That is fine with me" Dominick said as he shifted in the seat, "how is she? I mean, how do you think she is?"

"I don't want to speak for her, but he did a number on her. Can't you tell?" Arthur replied

"Yeah, I know. Which is why I asked. I hoped that she would be okay." Dominick stated

"She seems okay, she doesn't like talking about it. I think that is for the best." Arthur added

"Passengers please take your seats as we begin our descent." A voice stated over the intercom.

Dominick got up and went back to his seat. Arthur helped Caitlyn's head fall back onto his shoulder. It wasn't long before the plane touched down and was being taxied to the terminal.

"Caitlyn, time to wake up" Arthur whispered to her.

Caitlyn opened her eyes, "I slept to whole flight?"

"Yeah, you needed it apparently. At least you will focus on the case." Arthur stated as the other passengers rose from their seat. Caitlyn and Arthur rose, they let Dominick in front of them. They grabbed their belongings from baggage claim, and took a taxi to their hotel.

As they entered their rooms, Caitlyn asked "I can get the name of our subject?"

"Saito head of Proclus Global." Dominick replied before entering his hotel room.

Caitlyn stood outside her door. Arthur walked up to her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It is just a big task. Saito is very well known. It would be time consuming to weed out the fake and the truth." Caitlyn stated looking at Arthur.

"Do you want help?" Arthur said as he opened her hotel door.

"Don't you need to sleep?" Caitlyn asked

"I will be fine. We don't meet the client until 10:00 am" Arthur said. With that he and Caitlyn entered her hotel room.


	5. The Nightmare

Chapter 5 - The Nightmare

Arthur was so tired that he fell asleep the minute his laid down on the bed. It made Caitlyn giggle a little as she looked at the clock 3:00 am glared back at her in a bright light. She took off his shoes, socks, tie, and jacket then gently moved the covers over him. She placed his things on the floor next to the bed. She set an alarm for 8:30 am. She tied her hair back into a bun as she sat at the desk in the room, took out her tablet and started touching the screen rapidly. Caitlyn became lost in the searching, note taking, and hacking that became part of her and Arthur's researching routine.  
It seemed like she was searching for hours when there was a pounding that seemed to come from all around her. She looked up, she wasn't in the hotel room anymore; instead she was a metal room with a double bed with clean white sheets, she had been here before 10 years ago and she never wanted to return. She looked down, her tablet and case was gone. Her security was gone. Again the pounding shook the walls. Caitlyn stood up and looked around. She found a door and opened it. The sunlight streamed through the leaves of the nearby trees. She recognized this place from her childhood. She stepped through the door, she was standing on the porch of a large wooden cabin, her childhood summer home. Caitlyn turn back to the metal door. It was not there anymore, it was replaced with a cherry red wooden door with a pane of glass in it. Caitlyn closed her eyes and thought about the metal box on the other side of the door. When she opened her eyes, she was on the other side of the red door; however, it was not the metal room she was expecting, she was standing in the kitchen on the cabin. She closed her eyes again and thought only about the metal room and the areas of the house it could be in. Everytime she opened her eyes she was in a different place of the cabin, but not in the metal room. A wave of panic washed over Caitlyn as the pounding started again. It was shaking every room she ran into to get away. She looked out a large window in the front living room, there standing a little way from the house was a young platinum blonde haired green eyed man. His face was contorted into a sinister smile, she remembered that smile, hair, eyes, and man, it was someone that she never wanted to see again. She closed her eyes and let out a scream to block out the pounding or maybe to scare the man away. She didn't know why she screamed she just did, it was something instinctual.

Caitlyn opened her eyes, her head was on the table her was working at. She glanced at the clock 5:30 am. Her tablet next to her head, its case still next to it. She opened it and pulled out the book. She sighed as she read the first line, she was in reality. She grabbed her room key and opened the hotel door. In the hall she found a soda machine and bought a soda. She stood staring at the soda machine as she opened and drank the soda. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She started to feel better and made her way back to her hotel room. Arthur was up when she closed the door behind her.

"Where were you?" Arthur asked  
"I grabbed a soda" Caitlyn said looking away from Arthur.

She knew that Arthur knew that she only grabbed a soda when she didn't want to sleep.

"Did you dream again?" Arthur asked walking toward her.

"More like a nightmare. I was back there again, trapped and tortured, he was there." Caitlyn said as Arthur embraced her.

"Did you know you were dreaming? Arthur asked has he sat on the bed leaning against the headboard.  
"Not a first, but then I tried projecting and it worked. Which only could mean a dream" Caitlyn replied sitting next to him  
"Are you okay" Arthur asked very concerned as he held Caitlyn.  
"Yeah. It wasn't real anymore." Caitlyn sighed resting her head in his shoulder as her held her.

These were her favorite moments, when Arthur showed how much he cared about her, even if it was because she was a valued team member.

"Do you need help with the research?" Arthur finally asked after a while.

He was trying to get her mind off of the dream. With what he knew she needed to be on her A-game if she was going to get through the meeting later that day.

"Yeah. Start with those files on the other side of the table" Caitlyn said getting up.  
Arthur followed her to the table and sat across from her looking at paper as she tapped on her tablet. They spent their research time looking at articles, profiles and history, while stealing glances at each other. At 8:30 the alarm on Caitlyn's tablet went off. Caitlyn went to shower as Arthur went to his room to change and shower. At 9:00 they both left their hotel rooms and met Dominick out in the hall.

"You have stuff on Saito" Dominick asked Caitlyn as they walked to the entrance of the hotel.

"Some, not a lot, but it is good." Caitlyn said eyeing Dominick.

He never questioned her abilities like this.


	6. Meeting at Cobol

Chapter 6 - Meeting at Cobol

Cobol headquarters was only a block and a half from their hotel, the team decided to walk. Walking let Caitlyn clear her head from the night. It was not long until they stood at the entrance of the tall skyscraper, which seemed a little out of place in the vastness that surrounded it. They entered the building and security escorted them to the 5th floor. As they got off the elevator the receptionist spoke to the security, which then left the three of them sitting on a plastic bright cherry red couch. They sat there for what left like an hour, until the receptionist said, "Your contact will see you now, Mr. Cobb."  
She buzzed them into a large door. Standing on the other end of the door was a green eyed man in his early thirties; the light shining on his platinum blonde hair making it seem lighter, if that was at all possible.

Caitlyn stood there for a moment frozen in fear. Dominick made the introductions

"David, it is good to see you. You remember Arthur Jones, our pointman. I would like to introduce Caitlyn Johnson, our hacker." Dominick said as he shook the blonde haired man's hand.

"Dominick it is a pleasure to work with the best in the business. It is sad that you already picked an architect" David replied, then he looked at Caitlyn, "I would have loved to design the dream space."

Caitlyn shuddered as David looked at her. She never wanted to see him again after what he did to her.

"Hello Caitlyn. I knew we would meet again." David said as he stood right in front of her.

He stood so close that she would felt the warmth of his body. However, it felt different this time, not warm and inviting but secretive and evil.

"Hello David." Caitlyn stated firmly, maybe she could find the confidence that she normally had.

"Shall we get this meeting underway?" Arthur asked looking at David as he stood closer to Caitlyn.

"Yeah. Please sit down." David seemed to have been pulled from his thoughts has he led the team into the conference room.

"We some information about Saito and have started to formulate a plan." Dominick said without taking his eyes off of David.

"Great, less work for me." David chuckled starting at Caitlyn.

His gaze made her squirm but she just stared back, unmoved. She had learned a long time ago the only way to make David feel like he lost was to act as though he didn't bother her.

"We found that he has a mistress in Venezuela, who is the wife of an important statesman in the country, he has been in the dream world before, and lastly, he is concerned about extraction of information from his subconscious." Caitlyn said checking her notes.

"Our plan is to use that information to get him to divulge his expansion plan." Arthur added

"Like blackmail?" David asked with a puzzled look on his face

"No, we pose as extractors who want to help train his subconscious and extract the information that way." Dominick clarified for him.

"You have an architect? Because I have free for the job." David asked trying to seem innocent.

Arthur gave a look to Dominick.

"We have an architect. Nash." Dominick replied.

David gave look disgust. Caitlyn looked at Arthur.

"Nash is untalented and clumsy." David stated, "I would be a much better architect for the job."

Caitlyn stood up, "No. Nash is fine. You are never ever getting access to my subconscious again. You will never be part of the team and you will never have me again. These two men here will make sure of that." She spoke unemotionally and clear. With that the team stood up and walked out of the room.

Before she left, Caitlyn turned around, "I will send the the information on the expansion plan after the job."

She then turned back and exited the room.

"You okay?" Arthur asked looking at Caitlyn as the team stood in the elevator.

"Actually, I am." Caitlyn answered smiling.

"What is the next steps?" Dominick asked

"You and Nash are flying to Venezuela to find Saito's secret apartment. That will be the first layer of the dream. The next layer will be a Japanese casino hotel, where we approach Saito about training his subconscious. After you and Nash are done in Venezuela you both will fly to Japan and meet me and Arthur there. Saito is having a surgery in a few days so we will extract then." Caitlyn said as they exited the Cobol building.

"Sounds like you two thought of everything." Dominick replied slightly amazed.

"We did. The best plans are the most specific." Arthur answered.

Arthur was the team's point man. It was his job to make sure all the specifics of the plan were laid out and researched. He was also a dreamer, a team member who constructs and maintains the dream space the team operates in.


	7. The Saito Job

Chapter 7 - The Saito Job

It wasn't long before Nash and Dominick were meeting Caitlyn and Arthur in Japan. They only stayed in Venezuela long enough for Nash to sketch the Saito's apartment. The plan was well thought out, like all of Arthur's plans were. However the plan didn't take into account last minute changes.

"We have to move on Saito now" Caitlyn said as she collected her tablet case.

"Why?" Nash asked looking a little confused

"He is not going to have to surgery. He is taking a train to Tokyo this afternoon. I got us tickets and some help." Caitlyn responded as Arthur grabbed some gear as the team left the hotel.

They made their way to the train station and boarded the train just in time. It wasn't long before they found Saito's compartment. He was already sleeping. There a teenager sitting across from Saito.

"The train attendant gave him some water, then he just fell asleep." The teenager stated as the team entered the compartment.

"You work fast" Nash said to Caitlyn with amazement in his voice.

"I have too in order to get the job done" Caitlyn said under her breath relief in her voice as Dominick and Arthur setup the silver case and I.V. tubes, their PASIV device, on the floor between the train seats.

"We have 15 minutes until the next stop. Put these headphones on Nash when the timer says twenty eight seconds left." Dominick told the teenager as the team started to place the I.V. needle into their arm.

Caitlyn placed a small metallic tower with a blue light on it on the small table under the compartment window. The teenager hit the small round button in the center of the case and the team fell asleep.

The team was standing on the busy sidewalk. Saito was walking a few steps ahead of them. They followed him as he walked toward his apartment. They managed to sneak behind him and knock him unconscious. They laid him down on the bed and connected him to the PASIV device Arthur was carrying with him. In the next room Caitlyn set up the team's chairs. Arthur was carrying the case letting out the I.V. tubing connected to Saito into the room where Caitlyn and Dominick were setting up. Caitlyn pulled out her black tablet from its grey case and set in on the end table next to her running a hack into Saito's subconscious.

"We good?" Dominick asked as Arthur began undoing the rest of the I.V. tubes for the team going down the next level.

"Yeah." Arthur said sitting down and poking himself with the needle. Caitlyn and Dominick followed suit. Nash pushed the button.  
Dominick and Arthur were dressed in elegant tuxedos. Caitlyn was in a golden one sleeve formal evening gown. Her tablet and its case were on her lap. She was quietly and quickly tapping on it, but still looking up at Saito. Saito was sitting across a dinner table from them. An expensive meal was on the table in front of everyone.

"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm?" Dominick started. Saito put down his fork. It was clear he started to lose his appetite. The conversation was going downhill.

"What Mr. Cobb is trying to say is -" Arthur was trying to salvage the conversation.

"An idea" Dominick cut off Arthur, "Resilient and highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed, fully understood. That sticks, somewhere in the brain."  
Saito began to look intrigued at Dominick.

"For someone like you to steal?" Saito asked eyeing Dominick.

"Yes. In the dream state, your conscious defenses are lowered making your thoughts vulnerable to theft. It's called extraction." Arthur stated leaning on the table.  
Saito listened still eating his dinner.

"Mr. Saito, we can train your subconscious to defend itself from even the most skilled extractors." Caitlyn spoke looking straight across the table to Saito.

"How can you do that" Saito asked

"Because I am the most skilled extractor" Dominick answered confidently.

"I know how to search your mind. I know the tricks." Dominick continued, "And I can teach them to you. So that even when you are asleep your defenses are never down."

Saito remained unmoved.

Dominick got up and started to walk around the room, "Look if you want our help, you are going to have to be completely open with me. I need to know my way around your thoughts better than your wife, your therapist, anyone. If this is a dream and you have a safe full of secrets, I need to know what is inside that safe. In order for this all to work, you need to let me in."

Saito smiled, wiped his face and got up, "Enjoy your evening gentlemen, lady," He motioned to Arthur and Dominick, and then to Caitlyn.

He started to leave the room, "As I consider your proposal."  
Arthur and Caitlyn stood up as Saito left the room. Caitlyn had pressed her tablet close to her stomach, covering it with the grey case. She relaxed and raised the tablet to look at it. She continued to tap on the screen.

"He knows" Arthur said glaring at Dominick.

Dominick just stared at the place where Saito exited.

Caitlyn looked at her screen, "brain waves seem normal. I don't think so."

The ceiling suddenly shook ever so slightly

"What is going on up there" Arthur asked to noone in particular.

Caitlyn closed her eyes and started to fade. She opened her eyes and the fading went away.

"Looks like a riot" She said.

They left the room walking on the bridge hallways. As they were walking, Caitlyn noticed a blip on her brain map of Saito's brain. She looked up, Dominick and Arthur stopped walking. They were staring at a woman, with tanned skin, brown curly hair and blue eyes.

"What is she doing here?" Arthur asked Dominick

"You two go back to the room. I will deal with this." Dominick commanded to Caitlyn and Arthur.

"I am almost cracked it. But you get a chance the code to the safe is 19-1-9-20-15. Dom please be careful, Mal is not real. Remember the job" Caitlyn grabbed Dominick's arm before he walked to the other woman.


	8. The Saito Job Goes Wrong

Chapter 8 - The Saito Job Goes Wrong

Arthur and Caitlyn closed the door to the room. Caitlyn was staring at the hacking countdown on her tablet as if just the mere thinking about it speeding up would make it do so.

"Is he going to show up too?" Arthur asked looking concerned at Caitlyn.

"No, we are in your dream and Nash's. Not mine" Caitlyn said still staring at the tablet's screen.  
Arthur walked up to her held her head in his hands and kissed her. Her tablet beeped. She pulled away from Arthur to check her tablet.

"Dom is in the safe" Caitlyn said to Arthur, "What was that, earlier?"

"What was what?" Arthur responded innocently.

"The kiss" Caitlyn said looking into his brown eyes.

"I just wanted you to know that I -" Arthur started but was cut off by a knock on the door.

Arthur went to answer it. Standing in the doorway was Saito's guards and Mal, guns pointed at Arthur and Caitlyn. Caitlyn set her grey case down covering her tablet. The guards grabbed her and Arthur and led them down to the room where they had been earlier that evening.

Mal pointed her gun at Arthur, "Please Dom, put the gun down"

Dominick looked at Arthur, who shook his head no. Caitlyn tried to free herself from the guard's grasp. Dominick put his gun down and slid it across the table.

"Now the envelope, Mr Cobb" Saito said sternly.

"Did she tell you or have you known all along?" Dominick asked, with his hand up

"That you are here to steal from me or that we are actually asleep" Saito said looking at Dominick.

Dominick, Arthur and Caitlyn exchanged glances.

"I want to know the name of your employer." Saito continued.

Mal cocked her gun and held it up to Arthur's head, threatening Arthur.

"There is no use threatening him in a dream right Mal" Dominick said staring at Mal

"It depends on what you are threatening" Mal responded, "killing him would just wake him up. But pain, pain is in the mind."

Mal lowered the gun and shot Arthur's knee. He yelled in pain, falling down as the guards were trying to keep him up right. Caitlyn tried harder to escape the guard's hold on her. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"And judging by the decor, we are in your mind. Right Arthur?" Mal continued aiming the gun at Arthur's other knee.

Dominick jumped and slid on the table to his gun as Caitlyn disappeared from the room. She reappeared in the room her and Arthur we're just removed from. She grabbed her tablet and click the screen. She grabbed her katana. The room started to crumble. Dom must have killed Arthur. The dream was collapsing. She closed her eyes and thought about Dominick. She opened her eye and was standing right next to him.

"Did you get anything" He asked as they ran away from the guards.

"I don't know. I sent everything up. I will sort it out later." Caitlyn said slashing at the guards as Dominick fired a few rounds.

Dominick opened the envelope, there were three sheets of paper with some of the writing blacked out.

"It is not all there, we failed" Caitlyn said

"Not unless you can find something." Dominick said under his breath.

They started running again. Dominick went up the stairs while Caitlyn ran to the left of the staircase. She didn't notice a beam falling until it landed on her.

Caitlyn woke up in a chair, sunlight from the sun pouring into the window. Nash was standing near her. She pulled out the I.V. tube, grabbed her tablet, and started tapping on it. She could hear Nash panic about something, but she wasn't paying much attention.

That was until she heard Arthur yell at Nash, "Dunk him."  
She was out of her chair and pushed Dominick into the tub of water,they has set up, before Nash could turn around to complete Arthur's request. She sat back down and continued tapping until Saito came in pointing a gun at her and Nash, Arthur followed behind him.

Saito turned around to point his gun at Arthur as Dominick jumped out of the tub and wrestled Saito to the ground knocking the gun out of his hand. Dominick held Saito until he went unconscious.

Arthur and Nash sat Saito in one of the chairs as Caitlyn pulled a chair to the corner of the room and continue tapping on her tablet.

Saito regained consciousness. Arthur stared out the windows, Dominick sat across Saito.

"You came prepared" Dominick said playing with Saito's gun in his hands

"Not even my head of security knows about this place, how did you find out about it?" Saito asked.

"It is very difficult for a man in your position to keep a love nest, especially when there is a married woman involved. Nothing is safe from me" Caitlyn responded not looking up from her screen.

"She would never." Saito asserted looking behind him at Caitlyn, who was still typing on her tablet.

"Yet here we are, with a dilemma" Dominick stated redirecting Saito to look at him.

"They are getting closer." Arthur stated from the window. The noise from the riots outside the build was getting louder.

"You got what you came for." Saito stated breathless.

"That is not true. You left out some key information, didn't you? You held something back because you knew what we were up to." Dominick asserted, "The question is why did you let us in at all?"

"An audition" Saito replied with a sly smile.

"An audition for what?" Caitlyn asked still looking at her tablet.

"It doesn't matter you failed" Saito answered.  
"We extracted every piece of information you had in there" Dominick stated a little defensive.

"Your deception was obvious." Saito answered.

Arthur looked at Dominick, then to Caitlyn. The explosions got closer. Caitlyn only glanced up enough to see that Nash was getting nervous. She was getting nervous, she almost hacked Saito's brain. She was going to get the information. She heard something in the room, slight sound of faint music; a song she knew all too well, time was running out. She started tapping faster. She looked to Nash, then to Arthur. It was clear on Arthur's face he heard the music too.

"Leave me and go"

"You don't understand, Mr. Saito, that corporation that hired us they won't accept failure. We won't last two days" Dominick leaned in closer to Saito.  
Arthur looked to Caitlyn, "What is going on"

"I am working on it" Caitlyn looked at Arthur, she hated when breathed down her neck, " Just give me time."  
Arthur looked back outside and then back at Dominick, he was getting nervous.

"Looks like I am going to have to do this more simply" Dominick got up threw Saito onto the carpet and point a gun at him, "Tell us what you know NOW."

Saito just laid face down on the carpet, "I have always hated this carpet...," he moved his hand back and forth on it, "...It's stained and frayed in such distinctive ways, but definitely made out of wool…"

Caitlyn looked at her tablet, a notice went off. She watched the download bar reach 100%. She wiped the tablets hard drive, then she smashed her tablet onto the ground.

"He has figured it out" She cried

"... Right now, I am lying on polyester. Which means I am not lying on the carpet in my apartment..." Saito continued to move his fingers through the carpet.

Dominick took a step back. Arthur looked furious at Nash. Caitlyn just looked out the window, the crowd outside was moving so close that there must be projections inside.

"...You have lived up to your reputation, Mr. Cobb. I am still dreaming" Saito began to get up.

Caitlyn watched Arthur disappear. They were out of time. Caitlyn knew she was next, she closed her eyes.

When she opened them. Arthur was already out of his chair taking control of the PASIV device. She opened her tablet case on her lap, pulled out her tablet and checked it.

"I got some stuff. It may suffice for Cobol. But I cannot guarantee anything." Caitlyn said putting her tablet back in the case as well as placing the small metallic tower she had set up earlier back into the case. Dominick and Nash woke up around the same time. Arthur was fuming at Nash's stupidity

"What is wrong with you, Nash. How do you mess up the carpet" Arthur said to Nash as Arthur started to put away the PASIV device.

"It wasn't my fault" Nash stated

"How is it not your fault, you are the architect." Caitlyn pointed out.

"I didn't know he was going to rub is cheek on it." Nash asserted

"Enough" Dominick interjected as he checked Saito's pulse.

"And you what the hell was all that?" Arthur asked looking at Dominick.

"I had it under control" Dominick stated not looking at Arthur.

Caitlyn knew otherwise, she and Arthur exchanged glances.

"I hate to see it out of control" Arthur said cleaning up.

"Listen every man for themselves." Dominick said as he threw some money to the teenager.

Dominick, Caitlyn and Arthur exited the train using the back at the next stop. They made their way by cab to their hotel.


	9. Aftermath of Saito Job

Chapter 9 - Aftermath of Saito Job

Caitlyn spent the next few hours deciphering the information her tablet received from Saito's brain. Arthur was pacing in her hotel room, he was trying to figure something out. Finally he stopped pacing and turned to Caitlyn.

"Did you manage to get something?" He looked hopeful at her.

"Some. But Cobol won't like it. It is not everything they asked for. I had to piece some information together, which you know they don't like." Caitlyn said as she put her tablet away.

Her suitcase were already packed and waiting by the end on her bed. Arthur has wheeled his suitcase next to Caitlyn's when he entered the room.

Caitlyn looked at her watch, " Our ride is should be here soon. Let's get Cobb. I haven't heard from Nash either."

They exited Caitlyn's hotel room and knocked on the door two doors down. Dominick answered it. Caitlyn could tell he looked stressed and defeated, he must have talked to his kids.

"Our ride is here" Arthur said as he and Caitlyn entered the room.

"You okay" Caitlyn asked as they waited for Dominick to finish zipping up her bags.

"Yeah, I am fine. Why?" Dominick tried to play it off how okay he was.

"Well, down in the dream. Mal showing up." Arthur stated

"Look I am sorry about your leg. It won't happen again." Dominick said quickly glancing at Arthur

"It is getting worse isn't it" Caitlyn said trying to study Dominick's reaction

"One apology is all you are getting." Dominick responded putting on his jacket and grabbing his bags, "Where is Nash"

"We don't know. You want to wait?" Arthur answered.

"No, Cobol knows we failed, best if we disappeared for a while." Dominick said heading towards the door.

The three made their way to the rooftop

"Where will you go?" Caitlyn asked Dominick as they walked to the helicopter.

"Buenos Aires. I can lie low there. Maybe sniff out a job when things quiet down." Dominick replied.

He looked at Caitlyn and Arthur, "How about you?"

"Stateside" They answered in unison.

Arthur gave a look of concern at Caitlyn, she gave him the same look back.

"Send my regards" Dominick replied.

They reached the door of the helicopter. A man opened the door. Inside Nash was sitting, he looked scared. Across from Nash sat Saito.

"He sold you out" Saito mused looking at them, "Thought to come to me and bargain for his life. So I offer you the satisfaction."  
The man who had opened the door offered Dominick a gun.

Dominick shook his head, "That is not how way we deal with things."  
Saito knocked on the window and Nash was pulled out of the helicopter by some of Saito's men. Dominick, Caitlyn, and Arthur filed into the helicopter across from Saito. The helicopter took off.

"What will you do with him" Dominick asked looking at Saito.

"Nothing, but I can't speak for Cobol engineering." Saito replied

"What do you want from us" Caitlyn asked slightly concerned.

"Inception. Is it possible?" Saito asked looking at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn and Dominick shared a look. They both knew how possible it was.

"Of course not" Arthur responded quickly, staring at Saito

"If you can steal an idea from someone's mind, why can't you plant one there instead?" Saito asked looking at Arthur.

"Okay. Here is me planting an idea in your head. Don't think of an elephant. What do you think of?" Arthur spoke, cynicism bursted through every word he spoke.

"Elephants" Saito conceded.

"Right. But it is not your idea because you know I gave it to you. The subject's mind can always trace the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake." Arthur explained

Caitlyn felt guilty about not telling Arthur the truth as she exchanged another glance with Dominick, with whom she did share exactly how she got out of her relationship with David.

"It's not true" Caitlyn spoke up.

Arthur looked at Caitlyn stunned.

"Can you do it?" Saito asked looking at Caitlyn

Arthur still looked stunned at Caitlyn. Caitlyn looked up from her grey case on her lap. She knew she could.

"Are you offering us a choice? Because I can find my own to square things with Cobol" Dominick spoke.

"Then you do have a choice." Saito answered

"Then we choose to leave sir." Dominick replied.

The helicopter landed on an airfield not far from a private jet.

"Tell the crew where you want to go" Saito said pointing to the jet.

Dominick, Caitlyn and Arthur filed out of the helicopter.

"Hey, Mr. Cobb" Saito called out as the team walked away, "How would you like to go home. To America. To your children."

This stopped the team in its tracks. Dominick was the first to turn around and walk towards Saito.

"You can't fix that. No one can." Dominick yelled over the sound of the helicopter blades.

It was not for a lack of trying, Dominick had Caitlyn use her ability to fix it to no avail.

"Just like inception" Saito mused.

"Dom, come on" Arthur said to Dominick, but Dominick walked towards Saito.

"Fifty bucks says Dom takes this job" Caitlyn whispered to Arthur

"Okay." Arthur whispered back.

"How complex is the idea?" Caitlyn heard Dominick ask Saito as she walked to them.

"Simple enough" Saito answered

"No idea is simple when you need to plant it in someone else's mind" Caitlyn started.

"My main competitor is an old man in poor health. HIs son will inherit control of the corporation. I need him to decided to break up his father's empire." Saito said

"Dom, we should walk away from this" Arthur said standing with the bags.

"Hold on...If I were to do this… Even if I could do it… I need a guarantee. How do I know you can deliver." Dominick said staring at Saito

"You don't" Saito answered back, "But I can. So, do you want to take a leap of faith. Or become an old man filled with regret, waiting to die alone."

Dominick nodded his head. Arthur slipped Caitlyn a fifty dollar bill. Caitlyn smiled a little as his hand slipped into hers as he gave her the money.

"Assemble your team, Mr. Cobb. And choose your people more wisely." Saito leaned back in his seat as the door closed and the helicopter took off.

They boarded the jet.

"Paris, France. Please." Dominick told the pilot as the three boarded and sat down on the jet.


	10. Traveling to Paris

Chapter 10 - Traveling to Paris

Caitlyn sat next to Arthur and across from a empty seat. Arthur sat across from Dominick. The flight attendants served them some food. They ate in silence for a while. Dominick was staring at his food. Arthur quietly slipped his left hand into Caitlyn's right and intertwined their fingers. Dominick glanced up and Arthur let go and moved his hand back to his lap. Dominick looked out the window.

"Look, I know how much you want to go home." Arthur said playing with his food with his fork.

He and Dominick exchanged glances. Dominick's home life, or lack thereof, was a touchy subject.

"Inception can't be done" Arthur added

"Yes it can" Caitlyn stated between bites.

Arthur just stared at her in amazement. She never told him how she got out of her relationship with David. He never asked.

"Just have to go deep enough" Dominick added.

"You don't know that" Arthur retorted.

"We both have done it before" Caitlyn said looking at Arthur.

"Who did you do it to" Arthur asked looking at Caitlyn.

"David" Caitlyn answered not looking at Arthur, "it was the only way I could stop him."

With Caitlyn's answer Arthur knew not to press the issue.

They still had a few hours until they would land. Caitlyn got up and sat on the couch across from them. She didn't realize how tired she was, she stretched out on couch and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she wasn't on the plane anymore. She was inside the metal room with the clean bed. This time David was in there too.

"You will never escape me. You cannot outrun, hid or fight. You are helpless. No one can hear you scream here." His voice was cold and unemotional.

She put her hand to her ears as he repeated his statement over and over again. She looked around the room. There was a desk with a computer. She sat down at the chair and began to type on the keyboard. She need to hack David's mind again. She finished cracking it when the screen went black and words appeared on it in white. NO ESCAPE, NOT THIS TIME CAITLYN.

She closed her eyes tight.

She opened her eyes, she was back on the plane's couch. Caitlyn got up, her black slacks slid on the floor as she made her way to plane's bar. She found herself a caffeinated soda. She then made her way to the sleeping Arthur, his arm was draped over her tablet case. She carefully free the case from his arm. She opened it, pulled out the faded hardcover book. She let out a sigh of relief as she quietly read the first few lines of the book.

Arthur stirred next to her, then he opened his eyes, "Where is Dom?"

"I don't know. Bathroom maybe. I haven't seen him" Caitlyn replied.

"Why the soda?" Arthur asked gesturing to the soda in her hands

"I need it. Can't sleep right now." Caitlyn said sitting down next to him.

"I have a better idea" Arthur said pulling out the silver PASIV case.

He set it up and handed Caitlyn a needle. She smiled at him, he had read her mind.

"Only 5 minutes though. We can't stay too long" She whispered into his ear.

She stuck the needle into her arm and was soon drifting off to sleep.

They were sitting in Central Park, just talking about their former selves. Snow was falling all around them. Snow was already creating a large blanket over the park. They were dressed very warmly, drinking coffee.

"No brothers. 1 sister who my parents think is perfect." Caitlyn stated between sips

"No siblings" Arthur replied.

Caitlyn gathered up some snow and tossed it at Arthur, it hit his hat. Caitlyn giggled until she felt the cold of the wet snow hit her face. She and Arthur got up and started a snowball fight. They laughed until the alarm went off on Caitlyn's watch.

"Ready" she asked

"Nope" Arthur said under his breath as he kissed her on the lip. He had pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around him.

They woke up and put away to PASIV device case just as Dominick came out of the bathroom.

"Why we going to Paris" Arthur asked Dominick.

"We are going to need a new architect." Dominick said looking out the window.


	11. Meeting Ariadne

Chapter 11 - Meeting Ariadne

Caitlyn had secured all the needed paperwork to get into Paris. She has also secured a warehouse space. They had separated. Dominick was going to see his father - in - law to find a new architect. While Arthur and Caitlyn went to set up the warehouse. Arthur and Caitlyn were walking along the streets of Paris. Caitlyn was looking down at her tablet following the map to the space she had rented.

"How do you think Dom is doing?" Arthur asked as he followed Caitlyn.

"I think it is hard for him. He wants to go home. This is just a reminder that he can't see his kids" Caitlyn said not looking up from her tablet.

They walked in silence for a while. Arthur grabbed Caitlyn's hand as they walked.

"Here it is" Caitlyn said looking at the door to the building.

They entered and made their way to the top floor. Light flooded the room as they exited the industrial elevator. The warehouse was spacious.

"Caitlyn, it is perfect" Arthur said as he stepped into the room and glanced around.

Caitlyn bowed and laughed, "I know"

They got to work setting up. They unboxed some cases of PASIV devices.

Dominick came in he was carrying a young woman, she had long brown curly hair. Her eyes were closed.

"Hook her up to the device." Dominick said as he laid her down on the lawn chair, " This is Ariadne. An architect."

Arthur hooked the girl to the PASIV device. Dominick hooked himself to it and laid back in the lawn chair.

"Set for 5 minutes." Dominick said before his eyes closed.

Arthur pressed the button.

"Now what?" Caitlyn asked turning around in a stool.

"We wait" Arthur said unpacking a suitcase.

Caitlyn tapped on her tablet, "I got a hotel room for us, Dom and Ariadne. Just a block from here. They have some really bad firewall."

Arthur stood beside her, "What did David do to you?"

He reach out his hand. Caitlyn put her tablet down and took it. Their fingers intertwined.

"A lot more than I can tell you before they wake up" she smiled coyly at him.

She looked back down at her tablet. Arthur kissed her forehead and went back to final set up.

It was not long before Arthur set up the music and Ariadne and Dominick woke up.

"Because it is never just dream is it?" Dominick asked as Ariadne blinked her eye, "And a face full of glass hurts like hell, when you are in it is feels real."

"That's why the military developed dream sharing." Arthur commented standing over Ariadne

"It was a training program for soldiers. To shoot, stab, and strangle each other and then wake up." Caitlyn stated sitting on a metal stool.

"How did architects become involved?" Ariadne asked, still laying down on the lawn chair.

"Well, someone had to design the dreams." Dominick answered, then he looked at Arthur, " Why don't you give us another five minutes."

Arthur turned back to the PASIV device.

"Five minutes, we were talking for at least an hour." Ariadne stated in amazement.

"In a dream your mind functions more quickly. Therefore time feels more slow" Dominick stated leaning back in the lawn chair.

"Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in the dream." Arthur stated as he set up the PASIV device.

"Why don't you see what you can get up to in five minutes." Dominick stated.

Arthur pressed the button. Ariadne leaned back and closed her eyes. Ariadne and Dominick were out.

Caitlyn got up from the stool and walk across the tablet to stand next to Arthur. He embraced her and kissed her forehead again.

"Arthur I wanted to say that I…" Caitlyn said while in his arms.

There was an alert blaring from her tablet.

"Great" Caitlyn complained as Arthur released her

Caitlyn walked back to the stool and grabbed her tablet. A photo of her mother displayed on her screen. She swiped the screen and her mother appeared on the screen.

"Bonjour momma" As Caitlyn spoke a hint of her french accent emerged.

"How are things going Cailyn" Caitlyn's mother's voice was oozing with a heavy french accent.  
Her mother was french and her father was an American statesmen.

"Good momma. I am fine. Thing are fine" Caitlyn said returning to her normal voice.

"Are you eating well" Caitlyn's mother asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oui, momma" Caitlyn answered

"Honey, you need love in your life. Why don't you get back with David. He was such a lovely young man" Caitlyn's mother asked

"Momma, David was not nice to me. He broke up with me remember." Caitlyn said glancing at Arthur, who have a concerned glanced back.

"Anyway. Rebecca and her husband are doing well. She says that she couldn't be happier" Caitlyn's mother said excitedly.

"Okay momma" Caitlyn sighed, she rolled her eyes at Arthur, who laughed quietly

Her mother kept comparing Caitlyn to her older sister, Rebecca, who was happily married to an architect that had introduced Caitlyn to David. Rebecca didn't believe Caitlyn when she finally told them about David.

"Momma say hi to Arthur." Caitlyn turned the tablet around so that her mother could see Arthur standing across the able.

"Bonjour Arthur. Where is Dominick?" Caitlyn's mother was looking close at the camera.

"Dominick is out for a while Mrs. Johnson." Arthur answered.

Caitlyn turned the camera around to face her, "Momma I am sorry. I will visit when we are in Paris. Bye momma"

"Bye Caitlyn" her mother waved at the camera.

Caitlyn pressed the red button on the bottom of the screen and the screen went black. Caitlyn sighed as she put the tablet down on the table. An another alert went off. Caitlyn looked at her screen.

"Ariadne is in trouble." Caitlyn said getting up.

Arthur and Caitlyn stood around Ariadne waiting. They didn't have to wait long. Ariadne jolted up gasping for air. Arthur knelt down and grabbed her hand.

"Hey it is okay. It's okay. Look at me. You're okay. You're okay" Arthur said trying to calm down Ariadne.

"I couldn't I wake up. Why couldn't I wake up?" Ariadne asked, still sounding a little panicked.

"Cause there was still some time on the clock. You can't wake up from within the dream unless you die." Arthur answered.

"She will need a totem" Dominick said getting up.

"What" Ariadne asked a little confused.

" A totem… It's a small personal -" Arthur started

"That is some subconscious you got there Cobb. She's a real charmer" Ariadne called after Dominick as he made his way to other room.

Arthur and Caitlyn looked at each other. They knew who Ariadne was talking about.

"Ah… I see you have met Mrs. Cobb" Caitlyn said handing Ariadne a glass of water.

"She is his wife?" Ariadne asked in amazement

"Yeah" Arthur replied.

"So a totem. You need a small object potentially heavy. Something you can have with you at all times. That no one else knows." Arthur continued

"Like a coin" Ariadne asked

"No. It needs to be more unique than that. Like this… it is a loaded die." Arthur pulled out a red die from his vest chest pocket.

Ariadne reached her hand out to it.

Arthur pulled it away and stated calmly, "I can't let you touch it. That would defeat the purpose. See, only I know the balance and exact weight of this particular die."

"That way when you look at your totem, you know beyond a doubt that you are not is someone else's dream." Caitlyn added sitting down on a lawn chair next to Ariadne.

"I-I don't know if you can't see what's going on or if you just don't want to, but Cobb has some serious problems that he has tried to bury down there." Ariadne looked to Caitlyn and Arthur. They quickly glanced at each other. They knew Ariadne was right.

"I'm not about to just open my mind to someone like that" Ariadne continued.

She got up and walked out. Arthur stared at Caitlyn, she looked back at him. No one spoke until they heard the door close.

"I don't blame her" Caitlyn said looking at the door then back at her tablet. She got up and made her way to the table by the lawn chairs.

Arthur packed up the PASIV device.

"She'll be back. I've never seen anyone pick it up that quickly before. Reality is not going to be enough for her." Dominick said as he walked into the room and to the table, "And when she comes back... When she comes back you're going to have her building mazes."

"Where are you going to be" Arthur asked facing Dominick.

"I got to go visit Eames." Dominick said getting his stuff.

"Eames? No. He is back in Mombasa. That is Cobol's backyard." Arthur stated.

Caitlyn began typing on the tablet. The printer started up and printed out a ticket.

"Just tell me when you want to come back. It will be ready" Caitlyn said handing Dominick the paper.

"Thanks, Caitlyn. Arthur, it is a necessary risk" Dominick said putting on his jacket.

"Well, there are plenty of good thieves" Arthur stated.

"We don't just need a thief. We need a forger." Dominick said as he closed the door.


	12. Paris Alone

Chapter 12 - Paris Alone

"Well now what?" Caitlyn asked turning to Arthur.

"How about a nice dinner. How about Amour?" Arthur asked taking her hand and pulling her close to him.

"Sounds nice." Caitlyn replied looking into his eyes.

Arthur smiled, he then held Caitlyn's head in his hands and kissed her. She held his wrist as he did. She did not want this moment to end.

Their dinner was nice, they talked and laughed. The next day, they were in the warehouse. Caitlyn was sitting on the stool at the table across from Arthur.

"That's weird" Caitlyn said with a raised eyebrow.

"What" Arthur asked his eyebrow showed concern.

"Saito is in Mombasa. His plane landed soon after Dom's" Caitlyn said as she scrolled on her tablet.

"That was hours ago, why is your tablet showing an alert now." Arthur walked over to look over Caitlyn's shoulder.

"Saito used his credit card. I have CCTV footage of it." Caitlyn said looking at Arthur.

"Dominick must have meet up with Eames by now." Arthur said a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Arthur why do you not like Eamas. Is it because we dated? Caitlyn asked.

Eames Hardy and Caitlyn were a couple for two years after she dated David. Eames helped her get away of David. She broke it off shortly after Eames introduce her Dominick, Arthur, and Mallorie. Eames was the best forger Caitlyn ever met, he would mimic a subject's projection and con his way through someone's subconscious.

"No. He just has a different view than me." Arthur stated.

"Oh. He calls you a stick in the mud." Caitlyn replied

"Well his head is in the clouds." Arthur became a little defensive.

Caitlyn giggled. She always thought Arthur was so cute, especially when he was on the defensive side of the conversation.

Caitlyn and Arthur were busy staring at her tablet, when they heard a cough behind them.

They turned around, Ariadne was standing just inside the warehouse.

"Dom said you would be back" Arthur stated with a hint of smugness to his voice.

"I tried not to come, but…" Ariadne started

"But there is nothing quite like it" Caitlyn finished her sentence. She knew the feeling. That feeling was the reason that she was still going into the dream world even after all she had been through.

"It is just, pure creation. " Ariadne added

"Should we look at some paradoxical architecture?" Arthur said handing Ariadne a PASIV tube.

The three hook themselves up to the PASIV device.

They stood at a spiral staircase. They started walking up it. Caitlyn clutched her grey case.

"You're going to have a master a few tricks. If you are going to build three complete dream levels." Arthur started.

As they walked to the top of the stairs, a projection dropped a stack of papers.

"Excuse me" Caitlyn said the projections.

When Caitlyn looked up they had made their way to the middle of the staircase. She smiled slightly she loved Arthur's tricks.

"What kind of tricks" Ariadne asked as they continue up the stairs. Ariadne didn't notice the switch.

"In a dream you can cheat architecture into impossible shapes. That lets you create closed loops, like the penrose steps" Arthur stated

Ariadne realized the trick when they reached their previous spot on the stairs. With the projection still picking up the papers off the staircase.

"So a closed loop like that will help you disguise the boundaries of the dream you create." Arthur continued as the three walked down the staircase and outside.

"How big do these level have to be" Ariadne asked, a hint of concern was hiding in her voice.

"Well it could be anything from the floor of a building to an entire city." Caitlyn responded.

"But they have to be complicated enough that we can hide from the projection" Arthur added

"A Maze?" Ariadne asked

"Yeah a maze." Arthur answered.

"And the better the maze, then the longer we have before the projection catch us." Ariadne said as though she was thinking out loud.

"Unless you are me. Then rules can fly out the window" Caitlyn added

"Why" Ariadne stopped and blinked at Caitlyn.

"Well I'm a hacker. I break into the synapses of the subject's brain and make it think pretty much anything." Caitlyn explained.

"That explains the tablet case." Ariadne said pointing to the case in Caitlyn's hand.

They continued walking.

"My subconscious seems polite enough." Ariadne noted

Caitlyn and Arthur let out a laugh.

"Just wait. Things will turn ugly. No one like to feel someone else messing around in their mind." Arthur stated looking around.

Some of the projections stared at the three.

"Dom can't build anymore can he?" Ariadne asked

Caitlyn and Arthur shared a glance.

"Well, I don't know if can't, but he won't" Arthur said with a sigh.

"He thinks it is safer if he doesn't know the layouts." Caitlyn added.

"Why?" Ariadne pressed further.

"He won't say. But i think it is Mal" Arthur replied looking at Caitlyn.

"His ex-wife?" Ariadne continued

"No, not his ex" Arthur looked at Ariadne

"They are still together?" Ariadne asked in amazement

"No she's…. She's dead. What you see in there is just his projection of her." Arthur said.

"What was she like in real life." Ariadne asked after a moment of thinking

"Lovely, compassionate, funny, supportive. A real friend." Caitlyn said tears formed behind her eyes. She didn't want to hide them anymore.

They opened their eyes. Caitlyn got up and went to the bathroom.

"What is wrong with her" Ariadne asked as Caitlyn closed the door.

"Mal was her closest friend for years." Arthur said softly looking after Caitlyn with a deep look of concerned.

"You care about Caitlyn don't you" Ariadne noticed

"Um… we all do. She has been through a lot. Her ex fiance was an architect who trapped her into their shared dream world. He was put her down to the point she thought she was worthless. She hacked her way out of it." Arthur said looking at Ariadne, who was looking at the bathroom door with sympathy.

An alert went off on Caitlyn's tablet. Caitlyn came out of the bathroom wiping her eyes as she walked towards her tablet. She unlocked the screen and read the message.

"We have a name. Robert Fischer. I am going to stay here and research. Both of you can go if you want" Caitlyn said without looking up.

Ariadne grabbed her stuff and walked towards to door

"See you tomorrow?" She asked at the door

"Yeah" Arthur replied as Ariadne closed the elevator door.

"You okay?" Arthur asked putting his arms around Caitlyn's shoulder as she sat on a stool.

"Yeah. You tell her my backstory?" Caitlyn asked eyeing Arthur.

"Yeah" Arthur responded sitting on a stool next her, "Caitlyn I just need to say I-"

"Hey can you look through some on the Sidney Times for me?" Caitlyn interrupted handing Arthur a stack of newspapers.

"Sure" Arthur sighed..


	13. Eames

Chapter 13 - Eames

It had been a week since Dominick's arrival back in Paris with Saito and Yusuf, a chemist, the person who is able to create the serums they use to enter the dream world.

Dominick made the introductions for Yusuf, "This is Ariadne, our architect, Arthur, our pointman, and Caitlyn, our hacker."

"Hacker?" Yusuf looked at Dominick with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I can hack the brain" Caitlyn stated with a hint of smugness. She never doubted her abilities, not anymore at least.

"And an Astro Projector if my memory serves correct." Saito added.

"Only a handful of people can do that" Yusuf looked to Saito

"And you are looking at the best" Dominick stated as Yusuf looked to Caitlyn.

"What is an Astro Projector?" Ariadne asked looking at everyone

"I will have to show you sometime." Caitlyn answered.

"Did you manage to plant Eames?" Dominick asked looking to Caitlyn.

"Yeah. It was easy. Fischer Marrow's firewall was almost non existent." Caitlyn answered.

"Okay, finish the research. Ariadne work on the mazes. Yusuf, the serum. Great." Dominick said as he walked into a back room.

Eames plane landed a week later. Caitlyn and Dominick met him at the gate. Caitlyn hugged him.

"Hello darling. It has been a while. How are you?" Eames' british accent trickled out of every word as he hugged Caitlyn.

"I know. I am sorry. Dominick has us busy. I am good. Happy even." Caitlyn said teasily.

They entered the warehouse after a cab ride from the airport.

"Ariadne, this is Eames. He is a forger." Dominick said as he rolled Eames luggage into a spare room.

"A what?" Ariadne looked to Arthur

"A projection con artist. Is a more descriptive job title" Arthur responded just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Nice to see you too Arthur" Eames looked to Arthur.

"Stop it you two" Caitlyn said looking at the both of them.  
"Now what do we know" Dominick said coming back into the room and sitting at a chair.

"The vultures are circling. The sicker Maurice Fischer becomes the more powerful Peter Browning becomes. I've had ample opportunity to observe Browning. So in the first layer of the dream I can impersonate Browning and suggest concepts to Fischer's conscious mind. Then when we take him a level deeper his own projection of Browning should feed that right back to him." Eames stated standing in the middle of the circle.

"So he gives himself the idea" Arthur said thinking out loud.

"Precisely. That is the only way it would stick. The idea needs to seem self-generated." Eames answered.

"Eames… I am impressed" Arthur said leaning back in his chair.

"Your condescension, as always, is much appreciated Arthur, thank you." Eames stated staring Arthur down.

Their friendly rivalry was bubbling to the surface. Eames look smugly at Arthur. Arthur stared back a pleased look on his face, he had gotten under Eames' skin.

"Hey arrêtez-vous tous les deux. Stop it both of you" Caitlyn spoke with such a sharpness her words could have been glass as she got up from her chair and into Eames' line of sight, between him and Arthur.

The group looked at her. Eames and Arthur knew exactly what just happened, Caitlyn just got really mad. She only spoke french when she was really angry at someone or something.

Caitlyn sat back down and started tapping on her tablet. She was still tapping on it and writing down on paper as Saito and Yusuf left. She paused a moment when Eames left to hug him goodbye, but soon went back to tapping.

"Bye darling" Eames said kissing her cheek. As he did he stared at Arthur, who in turn looked away.

"See you tomorrow" Caitlyn replied pecking his cheek.

Arthur stayed on the other side of the table compiling the information Caitlyn was uncovering. Caitlyn heard Ariadne creating something and then her and Dominick talking; Caitlyn didn't really care, she looked to Arthur. She put her tablet down, got up, walked over to Arthur and put her arms around his shoulders.

"I don't know how my eyes are still able to process the information on that screen." She said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You manage. You've always have" Arthur said stroking her hair.

"You and Eames have to stop the bickering. I know it is about me and not a difference in viewpoint. You don't need to feel threatened by him. I don't think of him in that way anymore." Caitlyn grabbed Arthur's hand as he stood up facing Caitlyn.

"I know, but he still cares about you" Arthur sighed

"Of course he does. He cares about me in the same way Dom does." Caitlyn said looking into Arthur's eyes.

"What if I cared about you more" Arthur said under his breath.

Arthur pulled Caitlyn close to him and kissed her. Caitlyn's arm draped over Arthur's shoulder. They stood there for what seemed like forever to Caitlyn.

"Caitlyn… I need to tell you… I -" Arthur started, but was interrupted.

All of a sudden a door opened. Caitlyn and Arthur separated quickly, surprised. Dominick and Ariadne walked through and headed towards the exit.

"Goodnight, Dom" Caitlyn called out as Dominick left Ariadne behind him.

"Find something good" Dominick responded

" I will" Caitlyn retorted as the elevator door closed.

Caitlyn looked to Arthur, "We need to tell them."

"We need to get Dom home" Arthur answered


	14. Planning

Chapter 14 - Planning

The next day the team sat in a circle. A white board at the front. Arthur handed out the information packets that Caitlyn created.

"His relationship with his father is nonexistent. He is wealthy and knows it. He likes to flaunt it. If the empire was to break up, it would ruin him financially." Caitlyn stated as she sat down.

Dominick stood up, "I will break up my father's empire. This is an idea that Robert would choose to reject. Which is why we need to plant it deep in his subconscious. The subconscious is motivated by emotions not reason. We need to find a way to translate the idea into an emotion."

"How do you translate a business strategy into an emotion." Arthur asked taking notes.

"That is what we are here to figure out" Dominick said flipping through the packet, "As Caitlyn stated Robert's relationship with his father is stressed to say the least."

"Can we run with that? We could suggest to him that breaking up his father's empire as an act of final rebellion against his father." Eames suggested

"If you want the emotional response to stick. I am going to have to hack into Robert's brain and send an emotional signal to the correct part of the brain. Negative emotions are controlled by the right side of the brain, which is just harder to hack. And any way a positive emotion trumps a negative emotion every time. We all yearn for reconciliation, for catharsis." Caitlyn stated looking at Arthur.

"We need Robert Fischer to have a positive emotional reaction to all this" Dominick added.

"Well try this... My father accepts that I want to create for myself not follow in his footsteps." Eames stated.

"That might work" Dominick said agreeing with Eames.

"Might...we're going to need to do a little better than might." Arthur said looking concerned at Dominick.

"Oh. Thank you for your contribution, Arthur" Eames said snarkily.

"Sacrebleu Eames lay off of him" Caitlyn sighed rolling her eyes.

"Forgive me for wanting a little specificity Eames" Arthur stated calmly, Eames gave Arthur a look so Arthur repeated, " Specificity."

"Inception is not about being specific. When we get inside Robert's mind, we're going to have to work with what we find."Dominick said looking around.

"Sorry Dom, but inception is about the specific emotional response. Being specific was the only way I got David to break up with me and set me free." Caitlyn got up and stood next to Dom, "Arthur is right. A might, won't work. We need to be as specific as possible, then adapt as needed in the dream world."

"Okay, Ariadne work on the mazes. Coordinate with Yusuf, Arthur and Eames. Caitlyn see if there is any other information we need to know." Dominick stated as he walked into a back room.

They split off into their little teams. Caitlyn was left alone with her tablet. She liked it that way. She wasn't completely alone. Ariadne and the dreamers were off a little ways away at a different table. When Caitlyn glanced at them she would see Arthur looking at her, he would look away as she looked at him.

It was a long time before Dominick reamgered, "Do you have something ready for us Ariadne?"

"Yes" She answered

"Good. Arthur set up the PASIV" Dominick stated looking at Arthur.  
Arthur obliged. Everyone hooked themselves to the device. They opened their eyes. Everyone was standing in an empty city intersection.

"On the top level, we open up his relationship with his father. And say 'I will not follow in my father's footsteps'. Then the next level down we feed him, 'I will create something for myself'. Then by the time we hit the bottom level, we bring out the big guns..." Eames started

"...'My father does not want me to him like him', Right?" Dominick finished

"Exactly" Eames said looking at Dominick.

"Good design Ariadne" Dominick smiled at Ariadne.

They all woke up back in the warehouse. Dominick and Yusuf stood up. Arthur sat up

"Three layers down the dreams are going to start to collapse, with the slightest disturbance." Arthur stated with concern.

"Sedation. For sleep stable enough to create three layers of dreaming we'll have to combine the serum with an extremely powerful sedative." Yusuf replied

"Okay I think we are done here for today." Dominick said, then he whispered something to Yusuf, who nodded. They exited to the back room.

Caitlyn grabbed her tablet, starting to do more research and planning. As the sky grew darker Saito and Ariadne left. Dominick and Yusuf were still in the back room.

"What do you think they are doing in there?" Eames asked as he leaned against the table Caitlyn was sitting at.

"Experiments" Caitlyn said still looking at her tablet.

"Really. You are buying that story" Eames pressed further.

Caitlyn put her tablet in her lap and gave a look of annoyance at Eames.

"What?" Eames asked defensively

"Do you really think I bought the story. Dominick does not want to tell us and that it fine." Caitlyn said staring at Eames.

Caitlyn returned to her tablet. Eames sat at a stool reading some files. Arthur walked in with a steaming bowl.

"You should eat" Arthur said putting the bowl of mac and cheese in front of Caitlyn, "It is homemade"

Caitlyn glanced up and smiled. Arthur made the best mac and cheese in the world. Caitlyn would often forget to eat when she was in research mode. She grabbed the fork on the side of the bowl and started eating.

"What am I. Chopped liver?" Eames joked as Arthur sat done with another bowl of pasta.

"There is some in the other room" Arthur pointed.

Eames got up and went to the room that Arthur was pointing to. Caitlyn and Arthur watched him walk out. As soon as Eames was out of sight, Arthur kissed Caitlyn on the cheek. Caitlyn giggled.

Dominick, Yusuf, and Eames left soon after. Caitlyn and Arthur were still cross checking facts as the three entered the elevator. Arthur was still looking at his notes as Caitlyn rested her head on the tablet waiting for search results and closed her eyes.

The sky was starting to turn lighter when Caitlyn opened her eyes. She was on a lawn chair. Arthur walked toward her and handed her a cup of coffee. She sat up as Arthur sat on the edge and kissed her forehead. Caitlyn smiled. They heard the elevator door start to open and they stood up and moved a little bit away from each other.

Dominick, Yusuf, Saito, Ariadne and Eames got out and started to sit down in the chairs around the whiteboard. Arthur and Caitlyn joined.

"Dominick, I ran some calculations, we will need about 10 hours for this job. Yusuf, tell us more about the serum you will be using." Caitlyn asked.

Yusuf got up, " The compound we'll be using to share the dream creates a very clear connection between dreamers whilst actually accelerating brain function."

"In other words, it gives us more time on each dream level." Dominick stated

"Brain function will be about 20 times normal. When you enter a dream within that dream the effect is compounded. 3 dreams that 10 hours -" Yusuf continued

"I'm sorry math was never my strong suit. How much time is that?" Eames interjected sitting up.

"It's a week the first level down, six months the second level and the third level down is -" Dominick started to explain.

"It's 10 years" Ariadne mused.

"Who would want to be trapped in a dream for 10 years." Ariadne asked

"Depends on the dream." Yusuf answered.

Caitlyn and Arthur exchanged a glance.

"So, once we've made the plant, how do we get out? I am hoping you have something more elegant in mind than shooting me in the head." Arthur asked as he balanced his chair on the back two legs.

"A kick" Dominick answered

"What is a kick" Ariadne asked looking around.

"This is a kick" Eames answered, as he did he tipped the front leg of Arthur's chair up, with his foot, causing the chair to fall back. To avoid from falling Arthur had the lean forward, bringing the front legs back to the ground. Arthur leaned forward catching his breath as he glanced an annoying look at Eames, who smiled back. Eames' smile faded when he saw the dagger eyes Caitlyn was giving him. Eames looked back to Dominick. Caitlyn gave a concern glance to Arthur, who have her a reassuring glance back.

"It's the feeling of falling you get that jolts you awake. It snaps you out of the dream." Dominick clarifying.

"Are we going to feel a kick with this kind of sedation?" Arthur asked

"That is the clever part, I customized the sedation to leave inner ear function unimpaired. THat way however deep the sleep still feels falling or tipping" Yusuf stated.

"Can we see a demonstration?" Eames asked.

"Sure, Arthur do you mind" Yusuf motion to an empty chair. Arthur got up and sat down in the chair, hooking up to the PASIV device. Arthur was soon asleep. Caitlyn put some pillows around the chair. Yusuf tipped Arthur backwards. Arthur jolted awake, but could not prevent himself from ending up on the pillows. They reset and Yusuf tipped Arthur to his right. Again Arthur jolted awake but not soon enough to catch himself. Eames started to giggle, Caitlyn shot a glance at him. It hurt her to see Arthur go through this. The floor wasn't necessarily the softest.  
After the demonstration they all sat back in the circle.

"The trick is to synchronize a kick that can penetrate all three levels." Dominick added

"We could use the musical countdown to synchronize the different kicks." Arthur suggested.

"Good idea. Let's test it" Dominick said pulling the PASIV device over, "Caitlyn you are the subject. Saito stay here."

"What… Why… No" Caitlyn stuttered.

"Your dream world is the most stable out of all of ours." Dominick stated.

That was true. Davis had trapped inside the different levels of her dream world for a very long time before moving to his dream world, where Caitlyn had performed inception. However, she did not know what projections would show up or what world they would enter, she had so many.

"Okay" Caitlyn conceded.

Arthur gave her a look of concern. Saito pressed the button.

"Great, everyone ready?" Dominick asked as he fell asleep.

"No" Caitlyn whispered to herself as she closed her eyes.


	15. Caitlyn's Dream

Chapter 15 - Caitlyn's Dream

When she opened her eyes, everyone was standing in the elegant living room of her apartment.

Caitlyn looked out the balcony, the lights of New York were bright against the darkening sky. The air was crisp but not too cold.

"Where are we?" Ariadne asked

"My apartment in New York. The darkness below is Central Park." Caitlyn replied.

"This is a real place?" Dominick asked annoyance growing in his voice.

"Yeah. I know. But some of the layout is different than in real life, so I know it is a dream." Caitlyn said, "Follow me please. And don't talk to the projection. It is creepy enough to have everyone here."

She lead them out of her building into the streets of New York. They walked through the busy and bustling Time Square.

"Why do you have an apartment in New York?" Yusuf asked over the yelling of the crowded street.

"My parents wanted me to be a dancer for most of my life, when I was 16 they bought me a place to live and dance. They wanted me closer to opportunities here. See how well that turned out." Caitlyn commented, as she did she stopped a group of teens dressed in light pink walked by. She turned as they past.

"Who are they?" Ariadne asked

"Me and my dance friends" Caitlyn mused.

They continued walking past the streets of New York. They past a brightly lit seafood restaurant, Atlantis in bright lights hung above the door. Caitlyn just kept her eyes forward, until they reached a one story dance studio. Caitlyn unlocked and pulled open the door. 10 computer monitors were attached to a large desk and the wall across from the door. Couches and a vending machine lined the walls. One wall was a mirror, nothing stood in front of it. It looked like a former dance studio turned into a hackers paradise.

Upbeat music began to play as they walked through the entrance.

"Don't worry it will turn off soon. I use it to think." Caitlyn commented.

Caitlyn walked over to the desk and reached under it pulling out a silver PASIV case.

The group, besides Yusuf, hooked themselves up and sat down at the chairs in the middle of the room surrounded by pillows. They were all soon asleep again.

When they opened their eyes, they were standing in a forest.

"The forest outside our house in LA" Caitlyn commented.

The wind began to pick up. It sounded as though a voice was being carried by the wind. A darkness seemed to seep through the trees.

"Run" Caitlyn yelled as she spirited away from the darkness.

Ariadne was the last to turn and run, the only reason she did was because she thought she saw a man with blonde hair walking just in front of the darkness.

"Who is that?" Ariadne asked as Caitlyn stopped at a fork in the road.

"David. My ex fiancé." Caitlyn said still looking around.

She looked down, laying on the grass was a metal baseball bat. Caitlyn picked up the bat and stood as David walked toward her. David raised his fist as though he was going to hit her. Caitlyn closed her eyes. In a blink on an eye Caitlyn was standing behind David.

"I am not afraid of you anymore." She yelled at him as she swung the bat, hitting the man upside the back of the bead.

The man fell down to ground and didn't move. Caitlyn turned around and started running again. The group soon came to a wooden cabin. They entered and made their way to the second floor.

Caitlyn got out a black duffle bag and a PASIV case from under the bed. She handed the duffle bag to Arthur

"Blow the living room when it is time for the kick." Caitlyn said.

The group was getting ready. Arthur looked around for a moment and pulled Caitlyn out to the hall.

"You okay?" Arthur looked concerned at her

"Yeah, David shouldn't bother you. He is gone" Caitlyn said looking at Arthur

"That was easier for you than you thought" Arthur said, he must have read her mind.

"The next part won't. It is something I have not wanted to face for a while." Caitlyn lowered her voice.

Arthur embraced her and kissed her. She held his head as he did. They seperated.

"You will do fine." Arthur stated comfortingly.

"Arthur, I wanted you to know. I -" Caitlyn started

"Dom wants to know if you to are ready!" Eames poked his head around the corner.

"Yeah." Caitlyn sighed.

Caitlyn and Eames entered the room as Arthur went down stairs.

"Everything okay?" Dominick ask falling asleep. Ariadne was asleep already.

"Yeah" Caitlyn sighed as she put the needle into her arm. Eames followed suit.

When Caitlyn opened her eye she was staring at a metal wall. She turned around the group was sitting in the front row. She was in a theater on a stage. The one place she did not want to be.

Sitting a in the middle of the auditorium was a panel: her mother, her father, her sister, and Arthur.

She looked to her left, there was herself at age 16. Music began to play. They both started to dance the same way. Caitlyn stopped, the music and her younger self stopped as well.

She heard Ariadne whisper to Dominick. Caitlyn turned to her younger self.

"You don't have to dance anymore." Caitlyn said as she hugged her 16 year old self.

She watched her younger self walk off the stage. Caitlyn snapped her fingers and the music changed, it was upbeat but a somber message. She danced around on the the stage. The moves and techniques came flooding back. She stopped when the music ended.

The panel began their negative criticism and how she let them down.

"Look, you all care enough about me to feel let down when I do something. Dad and mom, you were disappointed when I chose computers over dance. I disappointed you when I left David. But David was not a nice person, he was horrible and mean. He used the dream world to torture and hurt me. Sis...Becks...You were disappointed because I chose Eames and Dominick's team over working with you, your husband, and David. I am not you, I will never nor could I ever be you, I have to go my own way..." Caitlyn stopped when she reached Arthur, she didn't want to say it in front of the group,"Bumblebee…" her nickname for how busy Arthur makes himself, "I probably disappoint you the most, because I have not made peace with my parents and myself. I take my frustrations with my life out on myself. I don't eat, I hardly sleep, I work too much. You watch me destroy myself and I know it hurts you, but you make me feel special and loved. I will tell you in person soon. The next chance I get." Caitlyn heard music, it was the signal. She closed her eyes, she opened them and they were in the cabin. She closed her eyes again, she opened them they were in the dance studio. She opened her eyes one last time, she was in the warehouse. Dominick, Yusuf, Ariadne, and Eames were already standing. Arthur was laying down on the lawn chair next to her staring at the ceiling. She got up and walked over to Dominick.

"I confronted my demons, you need to do the same" She whispered to Dominick

"I have it under control" Dominick looked at Caitlyn.

"Yusuf that is very powerful stuff" Eames mused at Yusuf

"Thank you" Yusuf replied

"I thought Dom's subconscious was messed up." Ariadne stated

"Yeah. That is why I didn't want to be the subject, but I guess it served Dom's purpose." Caitlyn responded.

"At least we know the kick work" Arthur said looking at Dominick.

"That is it for today" Dominick stated to the group.

Saito and Yusuf were the first to leave. Eames was next.

"You want to stay here or head back to the hotel?" Arthur asked looking at Caitlyn

"Hotel please. I feel like I need a hot bath." Caitlyn said grabbing her jacket and bag as she, followed by Arthur, walked into the elevator. The elevator door closed.

"You know I really care about you, right?" Caitlyn said looking at Arthur

"Yes. You know I really care about you, right?" Arthur repeated looking at Caitlyn

"Yes" Caitlyn said kissing Arthur.


	16. Final Preparation

Chapter 16 - Final Preparation

Arthur and Caitlyn were the last ones into warehouse the next day, they were very late.

"Look who decided to show up. We were waiting for you. We need to check out the hotel scene for the subject." Dominick said. Eames giggled like he knew something secrete, which he probably did.

They hooked up to the PASIV device. Caitlyn was sitting on the stairs of a grand hotel. Eames and Dominick were talking.

"Fischer doesn't have any surgery schedule, there is not dental, nothing." Eames commented

"Wasn't he supposed to have knee operation" Dominick asked

"It is minor. They won't put him under for that. There is nothing." Caitlyn said checking her tablet.

"We need at least a good 10 hours." Eames added.

"Sydney to Los Angeles." Saito stated turning around to face the group, "One of the longest flight in the world. Fischer makes it every two weeks."

"He must be flying private then" Dominick stated

"Not if there were unexpected maintenance with his plane." Saito added

"It would have to be a 747." Arthur added joining the group.

"Why is that?" Dominick asked

"On a 747 the pilot in up top, and first class is in the nose. Preventing anyone from walking through. But you would have to buy out the cabin, and the first class flight attendant." Arthur answered.

"On it" Caitlyn started to tap of her tablet.

"I bought the airline" Saito stated, causing Caitlyn to look up and stop tapping, "It seemed neater."

"Looks like we have our 10 hours." Dominick stated as they started to exit the building, "Ariadne, good work"

They opened their eyes. Dominick got up.

"Okay that is it for today." Dominick walked into the backroom.

Saito was the first in the elevator. Yusuf left soon after. Eames helped Caitlyn and Arthur pack away some non essential material.

"I could go for a drink and a bite to eat" Caitlyn said as the three entered the elevator

"I know a good place" Eames said looking at Caitlyn and Arthur.

Caitlyn and Arthur followed Eames down the street. They stopped at an pub. It looked rustic and like in belonged in London.

"Really Eames, missing home?" Caitlyn teased.

"The drinks are good" Eames reassured them.

"If you say so" Arthur said under his breath looking at Caitlyn.

They walked in, order a few drinks, and sat down at a table. Eames sat across from Arthur and Caitlyn.

"So Caitlyn. What was between the two of you in your dream yesterday." Eames asked eyeing the couple.

"Your imagination is acting up again, Eames" Caitlyn said glancing at Eames as she took a sip of her drink.

"Caitlyn darling, you never teased me about my imagination before. Did I hit a nerve?" Eames said watching Arthur for a reaction, which he got. Arthur's face grimace with disgust when Eames spoke the word darling.

"I see I have upset Arthur." Eames teased

"You haven't upset me" Arthur leaned towards Eames

"Stop it the both of you" Caitlyn leaned in and grabbed Arthur's forearm. Arthur eased up and relaxed back into his chair, "Eames stop teasing Arthur. Arthur don't take everything Eames says personally"

"Tell him that the two of you are not together anymore." Arthur said

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in our voice, Arthur, darling. Do you like Caitlyn?" Eames mused

"It doesn't matter Eames lay off of him. What is it to you?" Caitlyn interjected

"Maybe I found the two of you to be a cute couple." Eames made a face at Caitlyn

Caitlyn made the same face back. They looked like two siblings fighting over something stupid.

An alarm on Caitlyn's tablet went off, pulling Caitlyn away from her argument with Eames. She looked at the alert.

"We have to go." Caitlyn said standing up.

"What why?" Arthur asked

"Maurice Fischer just died" Caitlyn answered looking at him

"Just as we were getting to the good part" Eames teased

The three meet Saito and Yusuf outside the building as they made their way back to the warehouse.

"I just was about to call you. How did you find out?" Caitlyn asked Saito as they walked in

"I have my ways" Saito replied.

Caitlyn gave a look to Arthur. When they entered Dominick and Ariadne were sitting on lawn chairs talking.

"It is time" Saito said to Dominick as he walked in, "Maurice Fischer just died in Sydney"

"When is the funeral" Dominick asked as he got up.

"Thursday." Caitlyn answered looking at her tablet, "In Los Angeles."

"Robert should accompany the body no later than Tuesday, we should move" Arthur added

"I already bought the tickets for us." Caitlyn added as Eames got the tickets to Sydney from the printer.

Dominick and Ariadne talked in lowered voiced. _Ariadne must have seen the elevator of memories,_ Caitlyn thought.

"Get us another seat on the plane" Dominick commanded as he packed up the PASIV device.

"Done" Caitlyn said as the printer roared to life once more.

The team was off to the airport and to Sydney. Their plane right to Sydney was uneventful and boring.

They made their flight from Sydney to Los Angeles without any problems.

Saito and Dominick stood together looking at the plane.

"If I get on this plane and you don't honor our agreement when we land, I go to jail for the rest my life." Dominick stated Saito as Caitlyn walked up to them, putting her phone into her pocket.

"Complete the job en route, I make one call from the plane. You will have no ." Satio said

"How will you know we completed the job?" Caitlyn wondered.

"He is down with us." Dominick responded

"What. We don't need tourist on this job." Caitlyn complained.  
She hadn't counted on people, who didn't know what they were doing, coming with them. She knew it was going to be dangerous.

"Eames had similar sentiments" Satio replied looking at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn looked at Saito then to Dominick and then turned and boarded the plane. Arthur stopped her. The rest of the team walked past them.

"What is going on with you?" Arthur asked gently grabbing her hands

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just stressed" Caitlyn sighed.

Arthur hugged her and kissed her on the forehead, "Come on. We should board."  
Caitlyn checked her phone again. Her mom's picture appeared next to some text. She put her phone into her pocket again and followed Arthur.


	17. The Fischer Inception Job: Level 1

Chapter 17 - The Fischer Inception Job: Level 1

Ariadne and Saito were already sitting on their side of the first class cabin. Yusuf sat was next to Caitlyn's assigned seat. Arthur sat across the aisle from her. Caitlyn opened her case and pulled out her small metallic tower with a blue light, a wireless transmitting tower, on her table. She opened up a book. She watched from the top of her book as Robert Fischer, a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes, walked to his seat. She saw Eames pickpocket Robert and hand Robert's passport to Dominick. The plan was starting successful, but the real world was never the problem. The dream world was a whole other story. She glanced over to Arthur, who smiled at her. Caitlyn returned to her book. This was going to be a long flight. Soon the seatbelt sign turned off. She heard Dominick and Robert talking. It was not long before Dominick gave the signal that Robert was asleep. The flight attendant got the PASIV device and handed it to Arthur. Everyone grabbed an I.V. tube and connected the tube to them. The flight attendant sat by the device. Caitlyn looked at Arthur as she closed her eyes.  
When she opened them again she was sitting in a car wedged between Yusuf and Arthur. It was raining heavily.

"Couldn't have peed before you went under" Arthur complained as Yusuf got into the car

"Sorry" Yusuf replied

"Too much free drinks before take off, eh Yusuf?" Eames mocked

"Ha ha bloody, ha" Yusuf countered.

"Well we know he is going to be looking for a taxi in this weather." Dominick noted

Dominick drove the car down the busy streets of LA and rammed into a taxi. The taxi driver got out and yelled at Dominick, who pointed a gun at him. The driver ran away. Saito and Arthur got out of the car into the driver seat. Caitlyn leaned forward grabbing Eames shoulder, closed her eyes, and thought about Robert Fischer. She opened her eyes right as Robert was getting ready to get into the taxi Arthur was driving. As Robert got in Caitlyn and Eames entered the other side.

"What are you doing" Robert asked annoyed

"We're sorry we thought it was free" Caitlyn said

"Well it is not" Robert stated

"Maybe we could share" Eames suggested

"Yeah maybe not. Can you pull over and get this-" Robert stated

Saito turned around from the front seat and pointed a gun at Robert, which caused Robert to stop talking for a while.

"Great" Robert sighed after a while.

Caitlyn turned to looked out the back window to see Ariadne step out onto the sidewalk curb.

"There is $500 in here and the wallet is worth a lot more, so you might at least drop me at my stop." Robert stated.

"I'm afraid it doesn't-" Eames started but gunshots rang out through the taxi.

Caitlyn ducked down as the taxi screeched to a stop. The projections found them. Arthur backed the taxi up. Gunshots rang out followed by the sound of bullets ricocheting off the taxi.

"Cover him" Arthur yelled

"Down,down, down" Caitlyn said pulling Robert into a crouching position.

"What is going on" Eames asked to anyone who would answer.

Arthur moved the car backward and forwards hitting other cars nearby, as Saito and Eames shot at the militant projections. Bullets flew around them shattering glass. One bullet shattered the driver side window causing Arthur to duck, stopping the taxi. Arthur pointed a gun a fire a few shots at the projection shooting at them. Arthur kept driving back and forth trying to create a path. In the comotion no one noticed that Caitlyn was not longer in the car. She projected herself outside with her katana in hand started swinging it at the projections. Dominick, Ariadne and Yusuf showed up in a red car. Arthur backed up the taxi as Caitlyn projected herself back into it. As he backed up he cleared a path for the taxi. Arthur spun the taxi around and drove off.

"You alright?" Arthur shouted over his shoulder

"I'm okay, I'm okay" Eames answered back, turn to face the drive windshield.

"Yeah, I'm okay" Caitlyn shouted back. Hearing her voice calmed Arthur down a little.

"Fischer is alright, unless he gets car sick" Eames chimed in as he put a bag over Robert's head.

"Saito?" Arthur asked.

There was a silence as Arthur turned to look at Saito. The look on his face told Caitlyn all she needed to know. Saito had been shot.

The red car, Dominick had been driving, and the taxi, Arthur had been driving, pulled into an alleyway. Caitlyn and Eames got out of the taxi and opened the warehouse door. The two cars drove in.  
Dominick ran out of the car, "Get Fischer into the back room now!" he yelled as he ran to the taxi and pulled Robert out, handing him off to Yusuf.

Arthur pulled Saito out of the taxi, kneeling down to examine Dominick ran over to help.

"Has he been shot, Is he dying?" Dominick asked

"I don't know" Arthur responded, "Where were you? What happened to you?"

"We were blocked by a freight train" Dominick answered standing up running his hand over his combed hair.

"Why would you put a train crossing in the middle of a downtown intersection." Arthur asked looking at Ariadne

"Well, I didn't" Ariadne protested the accusation

"Where did it come from" Caitlyn asked staring at Dominick, she had her suspicion.

"Let me ask you a question. Why were we ambushed? Those were not normal projections. They have been trained for goodness sakes!" Dominick yelled at Arthur and Caitlyn.

"You're right" Arthur responded.

Caitlyn stayed quiet. She thought she had it covered. She pulled out her tablet and started tapping on it.

"How could he be trained?" Ariadne asked

"Fischer had an extractor teach his subconscious to defend itself, so his subconscious is militarized." Caitlyn explained

"It should have shown up in the research, I'm sorry" Arthur said looking at Dominick

"So why didn't it" Dominick yelled

"Calm down" Arthur responded standing up facing Dominick

"Don't tell me to calm down, this was your job. It was your responsibility. You were meant to check Fischer's background thoroughly. We are not prepared for this type of violence." Dominick shouted at Arthur.

"We have dealt with sub-security before we'll be a little more careful and we're going to be fine." Arthur yelled back getting into Dominick's face.

"This was not a part of the plan, Saito is dying for goodness sakes." Dominick yelled pointing at Saito as Eames and Yusuf entered the warehouse again.

"Dom, I did the research. I found out. I didn't tell anyone." Caitlyn yelled back not looking up from her tablet causing Arthur to turn back and look at her. Domnick was about to say something when Eames walked toward Saito.

"Let me put him out of his misery" Eames said pointing a gun at Saito

"Hey, hey, hey, no! Don't do it" Dominick said pushing Eames against the car.

"He is in agony. I am waking him up." Eames explained

"No it won't wake him up" Dominick breathed heavily trying to calm down.

"What do you mean it won't wake him up? When we die in a dream we wake up" Eames stated concern growing in his voice.

"Not from this" Yusuf answered

This argument caused Caitlyn to stop looking at her tablet and stare at Yusuf

"What do you mean" Caitlyn asked concern and slight panic in her voice.

"We are too heavily sedated to wake up that way." Yusuf explained

"So what happens when we die?" Eames asked

"We drop into limbo" Dominick answered

"Are you serious" Arthur and Caitlyn asked at the same time shock in both of their voices.

"Limbo?" Ariadne asked

"Unconstructed dream space" Arthur answered

"Well, what is down there?" Ariadne asked again

"Just raw infinite subconscious. Nothing is down there. Except for whatever might be left behind by anyone sharing the dream who has been trapped there before." Arthur explained walking towards Dominick. "Which in our case is you" he stop a few inches from Dominick.

"And me" Caitlyn spoke up, Arthur turned around again concern in his eyes.

"How long could we be stuck there?" Ariadne asked

"Don't even think about trying to escape until the sedation eased." Yusuf answered

"How long, Yusuf" Eames asked anger and desperation in his voice

"Decades, it could be infinite. I don't know" Yusuf responded

"Let's get Saito up stairs" Arthur said picking up Saito, Yusuf and Caitlyn helped.

"Great. Thank you. Now we are trapped in Fischer's mind, battling his own private army and if we get killed we'll be lost in limbo 'till our brains turn into scrambled eggs. " Eames stated staring at Dominick before turning and following the rest of the group.

"I should have told you. I'm sorry" Caitlyn said as they carried Saito

"What?" Arthur asked

"The sub security training, when it came up in the research. I should have told you. I thought we could handle it" Caitlyn replied

They laid Saito down on a wooden table

"Someone got first aid" Arthur asked as Saito groaned in pain

"I got it" Caitlyn responded pushing Arthur aside to tend to Saito

"So you knew about these risks and you didn't tell us?" Arthur asked Dominick

"There weren't meant to be risks. We were not supposed to be taking a load of gunfire" Dominick responded.

"I said I was sorry." Caitlyn said over her shoulder, applying pressure the Saito's wound.

"You had no right" Arthur said still staring at Dominick

"This was the only way to go three layers deep" Dominick responded

"And you, you knew about this and went along with it?" Arthur turned to Yusuf

"I trusted him" Yusuf said defensively

"You trusted him? What, when he promised you half his share?" Arthur asked anger growing in his voice.  
"No, his whole share. Besides, he said he'd done it before" Yusuf said

"He'd done it before? What, with Mal? Cause that worked out so good?" Arthur asked yelling at Dominick

"That has nothing to do with it." Dominick said

"We are doing what we have to in order for Dom to get back to his kids." Caitlyn said interrupting them, "That is why I didn't tell you about the sub security. If you knew you wouldn't have gone through with the plan and this is our best shot to complete this job."

"So you let us into a war zone with no way out" Eames said

"There is a way out, we go down. We complete the job as planned and do it as fast as possible." Caitlyn said turning back to her tablet.

That seemed to calm things down. Arthur and Dominick went to shake down Robert for information about a safe's code. Eames went to "change" into Browning. Dominick came back and Eames went with him to Robert and Arthur. Arthur and Dominick came back. Caitlyn looked up at Arthur, who was glancing at her. She looked away, she didn't like it when she disappointed him; but she had her reasons. Dominick and Ariadne were talking. Yusuf was somewhere. Arthur grabbed Caitlyn's arm and pulled her into another room.

"What is going on?" Caitlyn asked concerned as they ducked out of sight.

"We need to talk" Arthur said as he hugged her, "During the shooting, the one thought in my head was that 'I hope you were not injured or worse'."

"Arthur…" Caitlyn whispered as she put her right hand on his left cheek, "The same thought was going through my head."

Arthur leaned his cheek into her hand. He leaned in closer and kissed her.

"Caitlyn… I-" he started but was interrupted by Dominick

"We have to move" Dominick said

Arthur followed Dominick to collect Eames and Robert. Caitlyn helped Ariadne and Yusuf get Saito into the van.

Arthur pulled Robert into the van and dabbed some sleeping serum on Robert, who promptly fell asleep.  
"Code" Caitlyn asked looking at Dominick

"528491" Dominick answered her as Eames got out of the van and took off his hood.

"What did you get" Caitlyn asked Eames, placing her tablet by her seat.

"That's boy's relationship with his father is even worse than we imagined" Eames stated

"This helps us how" Arthur asked getting ready

"The stronger the issues the more powerful the catharsis." Dominick stated

"How are you going to reconcile them if they're so estranged" Arthur asked walking toward the entrance of the warehouse with a gun.

"I am working on it" Eames answered

"Work faster" Arthur said under his breath as he walked to the windows and started shooting at the projections closing in.

Everyone else was getting into the van. Caitlyn walked up next to him a gun in her hand.

"What are you doing" Arthur asked concern evident in his voice

"Helping you" Caitlyn said as she shot at the projections, "We have to break out of here before we are totally boxed in."

Arthur and Caitlyn ducked from the recocheting bullets. They continued to shoot and duck as the team got into the van. Caitlyn closed her eyes and projected herself behind the projections shooting at them. She pulled out her katana and swung it around. She had just finished when she saw a grenade flying at her. She closed her eyes and thought about Arthur. She opened her eyes, she was back that warehouse. Eames was holding a large gun

"What was that. You nearly killed me" Caitlyn said to Eames.

"Sorry darling" Eames replied

The three returned to the van. Caitlyn sat behind Arthur, across from Ariadne. Yusuf drove off. The rest of the team started to prepare to go under again.

"We need to shift his animosity from his father to his godfather." Dominick stated

"You are going to destroy his one positive relationship?" Ariadne asked connecting herself.

"No, we repair his relationship with his father, whilst exposing his godfather's true nature." Eames clarified connecting Robert and Saito, "We should charge Fischer a lot more than Saito for this job."

"What about his security? It is going to get worse as we go deeper" Arthur asked

"I think we run with Mr. Charles." Dominick responded

"What?! No!" Caitlyn chimed in

"Who is Mr. Charles" Eames asked connecting himself

"Bad idea" Arthur responded connecting himself

"The second we get into that hotel and approach Fischer his security is going to be all over us. We run with Mr. Charles like we did on the Stein job." Dominick said connecting himself.

"So you have done it before" Eames asked.

"Yeah, it didn't work" Caitlyn said connecting herself.

"The subject realized he was dreaming and his subconscious torn us to pieces." Arthur finished for her.

"Excellent, but you learn a lot right?" Eames asked uneasy

"We need some kind of distraction" Dominick stated changing the subject.

"How about a lovely lady I used before." Eames asked

"Listen, you drive carefully, all right? Everything down there is going to be unstable." Dominick said to Yusuf.

"Don't jump too soon, we only got one shot at that kick." Arthur told Yusuf

"I'll play the music to let you know it is coming the rest is on you." Yusuf responded, "Ready?"

"Ready" the rest of the team responded.

"Sweet dreams," Yusuf said as he hit the button.


	18. The Fischer Inception Job: Level 2

Chapter 18 - The Fischer Inception Job: Level 2

Caitlyn sat next to Arthur, she started tapping on her tablet. Ariadne sat across from them. They were wearing very stiff professional clothes.

"There goes Mister Charles" Arthur said eyeing Dominick who was walking toward the lounge of the hotel.

"Who or what is Mister Charles?" Ariadne asked looking around

"It's a gambit designed to turn Fischer against his own subconscious." Arthur responded.

Caitlyn continued to tap on her tablet.

"What is she doing?" Ariadne asked pointing to Caitlyn

"She is buying us some time if Fischer's subconscious turns on us." Arthur stated turning to Caitlyn.

"I am priming his brain to receive the signals from the idea we want to implant, we want him to feel happy about his father, so I am trying to prime the brain to receive those signals." Caitlyn said without looking up.

They watched a very pretty blonde woman walk out of the lounge, followed by two men wearing suits. That woman was probably Eames.

"Why don't you approve of this gambit" Ariadne asked

"Because it involves telling the mark that he is dreaming. Which  
involves a lot of attention to ourselves." Arthur responded.

"Didn't Cobb say never to do that?" Ariadne asked

"Mm. So now you've notice how much time Dom spends doing things he said never to do" Caitlyn said looking up.

The room shook ever so slightly. Ariadne looked around a little scared

"Yusuf's driving" Arthur commented trying to explain the shake.

There was some silence for a while. Then the room began to shake again.

"What is happening" Ariadne looked around

"Dom is drawing Fischer's attention to the strangeness of the dream.  
Which is making his subconscious look for the dreamer...For me." Arthur said

Caitlyn looked up and around. The projections were staring at them as they walked by. This was the creepiest part for her. She hated feeling watched. More projections were staring at them

Her focus was pulled to Arthur when he spoke.

"Quick give me a kiss" Arthur said leaning toward Caitlyn.

She paused for a moment, was Arthur really going to kiss her in front of Ariadne. She followed Arthur and leaned toward him, her lips pressing against his. Her heart skipped a beat. He pulled away from her, all three of them looked around.

"They're still looking at you" Ariadne said

"Oh well. It was worth a shot" Arthur said as he winked at Caitlyn, who  
smiled back at him.

"We should probably get out of here" Caitlyn said getting up.

Arthur and Ariadne followed suit.

The three of them got into the elevator. Arthur pressed the button for the fourth floor. The ride was silent, Caitlyn like it that way. The door opened and they made their way to room 491. Arthur took out a room key and opened the door. It looked like any ordinary hotel room.

"This room should be directly below 528, correct?" Arthur asked

"Yeah" Ariadne responded

Arthur went over to the safe and unlocked it. He pulled out a black small duffle bag. He took out explosives. All of a sudden Arthur's phone rang.

"Yeah" Arthur responded to Dominick, who was on the other side of the  
phone.

Arthur hung up, started to move some furniture, climbed onto it, and started sticking the explosives on the ceiling of the room.

"Do you use a timer?" Ariadne asked

"No I will have to judge it for myself. While you are all asleep in 528,  
I wait for Yusuf's kick" Arthur replied getting off of the furniture.

"How will you know" Ariadne asked.

"His music warns me. Then when the van hits the barrier of the bridge that should be unmistakable. So when get a nice synchronized kick. If it is too soon we won't get pulled out. If it too late I won't be able to drop us."Arthur continued to climb and place the explosives on the ceiling.

"Why not" Ariadne asked

"Cause the van will be in free fall, can't drop without gravity" Caitlyn  
said, "We should get moving to the fifth floor."

The three of them left the room and made their way to the fifth floor  
using the stairwell. The elevator beeped. Dominick and Robert must be on the  
floor by now. Robert stopped when he saw the three other people waiting on the  
fifth floor.

"They're with me. Go on." Dominick reassured Robert as the walked to  
Caitlyn, Arthur, and Ariadne.

Robert stopped at 528. He nodded to Dominick, who in turned took out his gun and glanced at Arthur, who also took out his gun. Arthur and Dominick pointed their guns at the door as Dominick kicked it down. They entered the room military style, like police entering a suspect's house. Arthur entered the bathroom as Caitlyn, Robert and Ariadne entered the room.

"Mr Charles" Arthur said as he brought out a silver PASIV case.

" Do you know what that is Mr Fischer?" Dominick asked Robert

"Yeah, I...I think so" Robert stuttered, clearly shocked and confused about what was  
going on.

"They were trying to put you under" Dominick said to Robert

"I'm already under" Robert mused

"Under again" Caitlyn chimed in

"What do you mean, a dream within a dream?" Robert asked

"Something like that" Cailyn said under her breath.

"Shhh" Arthur hissed as they heard someone trying to open the room with a key.

Dominick and Arthur pulled their guns. The door opened. An older man with white  
hair opened the door. Arthur grabbed the man wrist bringing him to his knees.

"Uncle Peter?" Robert recognized the man who walked through the door.

"You said you were kidnapped together?" Dominick asked Robert.

"Well, not exactly. They...They already had him. They were torturing him." Robert answered

"And you saw they torturing him" Caitlyn asked eying Robert

Robert shook his head. Then he looked like he figured it out, "The kidnappers were  
working for you?"

"Oh. Robert" Peter Browning sighed

"You're trying to get the safe open to get the alternate will." Robert continued  
disappointment emerged on his face as he looked at his godfather.

"Fischer Marrow has been my life. I can't let you destroy it." Peter explained

"I'm not going to throw away my inheritance. Why would I." Robert raised his voice.

"I couldn't let you raise to your father's last taunt" Peter continued.

"What taunt?" Robert asked

"The will, Robert, that will! That is his last insult. A challenge to build something for  
yourself by telling you that you are not worthy of his accomplishments." Peter  
explained

Robert paced the room for a minute, "What, but that… that he was disappointed."

"I'm sorry"  
Peter said under his breath, "He is wrong. You can build a better company than  
he ever did."

"Mr. Fischer?" Dominick said trying to get Robert's attention, "He is lying"

"How do you know" Robert whispered to Dominick

"Trust me, it's what I do. He's hiding something, and we need to find our what that is."  
Dominick whispered to Robert.

Eames and Saito entered the room. Eames held Peter as Arthur connected him to the PASIV  
device.

"I need you to do the same thing to him that he was going to do to you" Dominick said,  
"We'll enter his subconscious and find out what he doesn't want you to know."

"Alright" Robert replied sitting down as Dominick connected him to the device. Robert and  
Peter were soon asleep.

"He is out" Caitlyn said glancing at her tablet as she set it down.

"Wait, whose subconscious are we going into exactly?" Ariadne asked

"We are going into Fischer's, but I told him it was Browning's, so he'd come be a part  
of our team." Dominick answered

"He is going to help us break into his own subconscious" Arthur reiterated

"That's right" Dominick replied

"Security is going to run you down hard" Eames said getting ready

"And I will lead them on a merry chase" Arthur responded gleefully

"Just be back before the kick" Eames reminded Arthur.

Ariadne and Saito connected themselves to the device

"Ready?" Arthur turned to Dominick, who was looking out the window

"Yeah"Dominick responded, connecting himself

"Caitlyn?"Arthur asked looking at her

"Wait…" Caitlyn hugged Arthur, in front of everyone "Arthur I need to tell you  
something"

"No, Caitlyn, I really need to tell you how I feel" Arthur said staring into her green eyes as  
he connected her to the device.

"I love you" Arthur said.

Eames, Ariadne, and Dominick just stared at them. Caitlyn smiled as Arthur leaned in  
and kissed her. She draped her arms around his neck as they continued to press  
their lips together.

"I love you too." Caitlyn answered as she laid down on the bed next to the PASIV device

"Woah" Eames finally spoke.

"Go to sleep Mr. Eames" Arthur said walking over to Eames.

Arthur went back to PASIV device and Caitlyn. He leaned over her, stroked her hair and kissed her as he pressed the button.


	19. The Fischer Inception Job: Level 3

Chapter 19 - The Fischer Inception Job: Level 3

Caitlyn stood in her winter snow outfit next to Eames, Saito and Robert. She looked through her binoculars, trying not to think about Arthur; however, Arthur's kiss was still on her lips. She moved the binoculars to look at the hospital bunker, the militant projections were guarding the place.

"So we are not going to talk about you and Arthur" Eames said to Caitlyn, "I thought there was something between you two"

"Eames, shut it. There is nothing to talk about." Caitlyn said still looking through her binoculars.

She turned it to look at Dominick and Ariadne. They were a little ways up the mountain. Dominick was laying down looking through the sniper scope.

It didn't take long for Dominick and Ariadne to make their way down to them.

"Eames, this is your dream. I need you to draw the security away from the complex. You understand?" Dominick stated

"Who guides Fischer in?" Eames asked

"Not me. If I know the route everything could be compromised." Dominick said looking around

"I...I designed the place" Ariadne chimed in

"No you're with me" Dominick said

"I could do it" Saito stated

"I can go with" Caitlyn spoke up

"Alright, you brief them on the route into the complex" Dominick told Eames

"Fischer you are going with us" Caitlyn stated to Robert.

Eames, Saito, and Caitlyn stood around talking about the complex. Saito coughed and spat out some blood.

"You be careful, you have Arthur to get back to" Eames teased Caitlyn, but there was a level of seriousness in his voice and gaze as he looked at Caitlyn.

"Good luck" Caitlyn hugged Eames

"Come on Fischer" Saito said as he took off on his skis.

The three skied toward the mountain. The stopped at the base of the mountain, unhooked themselves from their ski equipment, put on their climbing equipment and began to climb the mountain. They had just begin to climb when Caitlyn saw a flare in the sky. Eames must have shot it to lure the projections away. They continued to climb. Caitlyn thought she heard a faint sound. However, the wind like to play tricks on the mind up on the mountain. They continued up the mountain side until she heard Eames' voice on the radio

"Cobb do you hear that?" Eames' voice conveyed a hint of concern

"I first noticed it about 20 minutes ago. I thought it was the wind up here" Caitlyn spoke into her radio.

"Yeah, I hear it. It's music" Dominick replied

"What do we do?" Eames asked

"We move fast" Dominick answered

Caitlyn, Saito and Robert continued their way up the mountain. She had worked it out in her head. 10 seconds to jump, gives Arthur 3 minutes, which gave them 60 minutes. She looked up, Fischer and Saito where climbing ahead of her. They would not make it within the time frame.

Ariadne's voice rang through the radio, "Saito, Caitlyn…"

"Go ahead" Saito said

"The air duct system...will bypass through the complex. It will get you to the room faster." Ariadne explained.

They climbed faster. The mountain shook, snow started to fall from above them. Robert and Saito looked up the snow was moving fast.

"Avalanche" Caitlyn yelled as she cut her climbing rope.

Saito and Robert cut their ropes following Caitlyn. The three of them slid down the mountain toward the hospital bunker. The slope of the mountain slid them like rag dolls towards their destination. They were trying to outrun the tidal wave of snow, which was destroying everything in its path. Caitlyn didn't know how long or far they had been traveling. She hit the ground pretty hard. The avalanche subsided as Caitlyn, Robert and Saito rolled to a stop. Robert and Saito groaned in pain. Caitlyn laid there breathing heavily a little astonished that she was still alive. She heard Eames voice over the radio, "Cobb! Cobb did we miss it?"

"Yeah, we missed it." Cobb responded.

Caitlyn got up and trudged over to Robert and Saito. She helped Saito up, they both tried to help Fischer up. Fischer slapped their hand away and slowly got up

"Couldn't someone have dreamt of a beach" Robert breathed.

"What do we do now" Eames's voice came on the radio

"Finish the job before the next kick." Dominick replied

"What next kick" Caitlyn asked

"When the van hits the water" Dominick replied.

Robert, Caitlyn, and Saito got up and made their way to the bunker. They found the entrance to the air duct. Saito opened Robert's backpack and pulled out some explosive. Saito set the charge, while Caitlyn pulled out her tablet and started tapping. Saito and Robert came over to her, Saito pressed a button. The air duct exploded, opening up the air duct. They climbed in and made their way through, stopping only a few times because Saito was coughing up blood. Caitlyn helped Robert support Saito climb in the air duct.

"We are here" Robert spoke into his radio.  
Caitlyn heard Dominick's voice but not really his words. Saito started coughing again

"You okay?" Robert asked Saito.

"I got him. Go on ahead." Caitlyn said pointing the path he needed to follow. Robert left her and followed the path.

Caitlyn took a deep breath, she felt a hand cradle and something press again her cheek. It had to be Arthur one level above. She touched her cheek. She noticed Saito watching her.

"You love him very much?" Saito huffed through painful breaths.

"Who?" Caitlyn asked a little embarrassed

"Arthur. Your astro projecting enables you to connect to the ones you love even if you are in different dream levels." Saito explained

"I know how astro projecting works." Caitlyn replied, "Yes I love him very much."

"You are lucky to find love like that in your lifetime" Saito breathed

Caitlyn smiled at him as she checked her tablet. The smile disappeared when she heard a shot from the chamber Robert walked into. As she entered, she heard another shot. She saw Mal on the floor. She looked out to the window where Dominick was suppose to be. She rushed over to Robert to tend to him. Eames entered the room and grabbed the AED. Caitlyn was applying pressure to Robert's wound. Dominick and Ariadne entered soon after.

"What happened?" Eames asked getting Robert ready for the AED.

"Mal killed Fischer" Ariadne responded walking over to him.

Caitlyn got up and looked at Dominick. She knew what Dominick was going to say before he spoke.

"I couldn't shoot her" Dominick breathed, "There is no use in reviving him, his mind is already trapped down there. It is all over."

"So that is it then? We failed?" Eames asked as he stopped tending to Robert and looked at Dominick in shock.

"We're done. I'm sorry" Dominick said looking defeated.

Caitlyn didn't know what to say, she was stunned. No matter how bad a job got, no matter how badly the team failed, no matter what Mal did to sabotage them, Dominick never ever gave up during a job.

"Well, it's not me that doesn't get back my family, is it?" Eames said stilling back.

Caitlyn turned and shot him a glance. Eames wasn't helping the situation.

"It's a shame. I really wanted to know what was gonna happen in there. I swear we had this one." Eames continued.

"Let's set the charges" Dominick said walking over to Eames and opening Eames' backpack.

Ariadne looked to Caitlyn. Caitlyn had an idea what Ariadne was thinking. Caitlyn nodded to Ariadne.

"No there's still another way! We just have to follow Fischer down there." Ariadne protested.

"Not enough time" Eames replied.

"Ariadne is right and there will be enough time down there. And you will find him." Caitlyn added.

Dominick and Eames looked to Caitlyn and Ariadne, both of whom had a firm confident look that should not be messed with.

"As soon as Arthur's music kicks in, just use the defibrillator to revive him. We can give him his own kick down below" Caitlyn explained.

"Look you get him in there. As soon as the music ends, you blow up the hospital, and we all ride the kick back up the layers." Ariadne added.

"Well it is worth a shot" Eames said closing his bag, "If Saito can hold that guards off while I set the charges."

"Saito will never make it, will he?" Dominick whispered to Eames, however Caitlyn could still hear him.

Eames gave Dominick a look. Caitlyn knew that look meant nothing good.

"I'll stay with Eames to help him." Caitlyn said looking at Dominick, "Anyway I could project myself to your level if need me."

"How will you know if we need your help? Ariadne asked

"I just know." Caitlyn replied

"Cobb, come on. We've got to try this." Ariadne stated breathless.

"Go for it, but if you are not back before the kick, I am gone with or without you." Eames stated, glancing a concerned look at Caitlyn.

"They're right" Dominick said getting up and looking to Ariadne and Caitlyn

Dominick grabbed a silver PASIV case and opened it. Caitlyn and Ariadne knelt down beside it.

"Can I trust you to do what needs to happen here? I mean, Mal's going to be down there!" Ariadne asked.

"I know where to find her. She'll have Fischer." Dominick replied

"How do you know" Ariadne asked hooking herself up to the PASIV device.

"Because, she wants me to come after him. She wants me back down there with her" Dominick replied.

"Time to face your demons, Dom" Caitlyn said hooking him to the PASIV device.

"Be safe" Dominick reminded Caitlyn.

"No worries, I will. Tell Mal I miss her so much." Caitlyn whispered in Dominick's ear. Dominick and Ariadne closed their eyes. They reached Limbo.


	20. The Fischer Inception Job: Inception

Chapter 20- The Fischer Inception Job: Inception

"Why didn't you go with them?" Eames asked

"I already faced my demons. Dom has to face his." Caitlyn said tapping her tablet, "You needed my help more than Dom did anyways."

Caitlyn was so busy looking at her tablet, she did not see Eames walking towards her. She felt his arms around her. She looked up, Eames had her in a hug. She hugged him back.

"Eames your friendship is something that I have truly cherished. I love Arthur, I have for a while now" She said as Eames let her go.

"I know. How long have you two been together?" Eames asked

"Officially, three years." Caitlyn said looking at Eames.

"Did you like him went you met him? When I introduced you to Dominick and Arthur?" Eames asked cautiously

"Eames, don't ask questions you don't want the answer to" Caitlyn said looking out the window.

She didn't want to tell Eames that Arthur was the reason she broke up him. There was a spark between Caitlyn and Arthur that was present from the first time they met, that neither one of them could deny. Arthur was the reason why she wanted to join Dominick's team.

"They're coming" Eames said gocking his gun.

Caitlyn pulled out her katana, "I'm ready."

She could hear the snowmobiles approaching the bunker. Eames grabbed Saito and sat him upright by the air duct entrance to the room.

The sound of gunfire and bullet ricocheting rang through the room as the projection shot at them. Eames looked at Caitlyn. Caitlyn nodded and closed her eyes. She opened her eyes. She was standing behind two projections shooting at them from a watch tower. She swung her katana at them. The two projection fell down hitting the snow far below them. She projected herself back to the room with Eames and Saito. Eames was handing Saito a gun.

"I need you… I need you to take care of Fischer, while I go set some charges, okay?" Eames said

"No room for tourists on these jobs" Saito answered.

Caitlyn felt about her tourist comment she made back in Sydney. She didn't mean for Saito to get shot. This was supposed to be an easy cover job for her, which turned out to be harder than she thought. Eames ducked his way back to his bag and grabbed the explosives. While Caitlyn set the AED pads on Robert's chest and pressed analyze button.

"What do you need me to do?" Caitlyn asked

"Give me some cover" Eames shouted over the gunfire.

They two rushed out of the room, down the stairs to the outside. Eames busted through the door and kicked one of the projections over the railing. Eames went right, Caitlyn went left. She swung her katana at any projection who would get close to her. She heard gunfire from Eames' gun. She projected herself behind some projections and swung at them causing them to fall. Caitlyn turned a corner of the complex, Eames was fighting a projection. It looked like he was losing. Caitlyn projected herself behind the projection and swung her katana. The projection stopped moving as he laid on the concrete.

"Hand me some charges, we can make it go by faster if I help" Caitlyn said holding out her hands.

Eames tossed her a smaller bag, filled a some of the explosives. She put the bag over one shoulder.

Eames made his way round a half of the complex as Caitlyn made her way around her half. The projections tried to stop her, but nothing stood in her way when she was done taking them down. When Eames and Caitlyn made their way back to the room they found Saito dead.

"Come on, we can't think about that right now" Caitlyn said checking on Robert.

She touched her lips again. She felt pressure on them.

"Arthur?" Eames asked

"Yeah" Caitlyn responded.

Eames looked around the room.

"You hear the music?" Caitlyn asked tapping on her tablet.

"Yeah" Eames said pressing the shock button on the AED.

That would get their attention in Limbo. A few seconds later, after another shock, Robert woke up. Eames helped him up.

"In there now. Go, go, go, go!" Eames said pointing to the strong room.

Robert got up, walked to the strong room door, and opened it. The door closed.

"I hope it works" Eames mumbled standing next to Caitlyn as he opened the door, Caitlyn's fingers hovering over a button on her tablet screen.

Robert's father was in a hospital bed a safe was visible by his bedside table

"It better" She whispered back, "This is my best work."

Robert opened the safe by his father's death bed. From her position Caitlyn could see the will. However, Robert was reaching for something else.

"Come on, come on" Caitlyn whispered to herself.

Robert pulled out a homemade pinwheel. Caitlyn pressed the button. Robert grabbed his father's lifeless hand. Caitlyn pressed the button again. Her tablet gave a notice sound. She looked down, the Robert's brain map shown green. The idea was planted. Caitlyn nodded at Eames and Eames hit the detonator. A series of explosions started. The room began to shake. Robert was still holding his father's hand when he fell as the floor crumbled. Eames and Caitlyn fell as the ground under them gave way. She awoke in an elevator.


	21. TheFischerInceptionJob:FinishingtheJob

Chapter 21 - The Fischer Inception Job: Finishing the Job 

She woke up again with only enough time to grab a quick breath before her body was immersed in water. As the van started sinking, Caitlyn could not make anything out, the water blurred her vision. Caitlyn began to panic until she felt a hand slip into hers and squeeze. Arthur gave her a mouth piece to a dive tank, she took a huge breath. When Arthur finished his, she noticed Ariadne was awake. Arthur took one last breath before he tried to get Dominick out of his seat belt, however, the seat belt was stuck and Arthur couldn't manage it. Ariadne, Arthur, Caitlyn and Yusuf made their way to the surface of the water. They made their way to some rocks and climbed out. They sat down once they were out of the water. However, the rain was still pounding down on the ground.

"What happened" Arthur asked Ariadne

"Cobb stayed" Ariadne answered

"With Mal?" Caitlyn asked, not really wanting an answer

"No, to find Saito" Ariadne answered.

Caitlyn let out a sigh, it was the answer she wanted.

"He'll be lost" Arthur stated

"No. He'll be alright." Caitlyn replied, she always did have faith in Dominick.

Arthur leaned in towards Caitlyn, his lips pressed against hers.

"I love you" Caitlyn said as she rested her head on Arthur's shoulder, "I have wanted to tell you that for a long time"

"Not as long as I have" Arthur replied kissing her forehead.

Caitlyn didn't realize how tired she was. She didn't really expel a lot of energy during the jobs, but this one was definitely different. Caitlyn closed her eyes as she slipped her hand into Arthur's and intertwined their fingers.

The bright light from the sun overhead forced her to open her eyes. Caitlyn had to put her hand to her forehead in order to see. Her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see that she was standing in the middle of a meadow. She let her fingers gracefully brush across the flower petals growing in the meadow. A figure appeared not far from her, his outline was very familiar to Caitlyn. Upon seeing it, she did not feel afraid instead she felt calm, happy, loved. The figure got closer it was Arthur. He embraced her, kissing her as he held her. She heard laughing of children behind her. She let go of Arthur, turning to see who made the noise. Two kids were running towards them, James and Phillipa Cobb. Caitlyn got down to their level to give them both a hug, in the distance she could see Dominick walking with someone, he was walking with Mallorie. Dominick and his family disappeared. They were replaced with Caitlyn's mother and father, whom she both hugged. Arthur walked up to them, they all sat down on a picnic blanket. Caitlyn's mother and father told stories of Caitlyn's childhood, which made Arthur laugh. Caitlyn danced around in her flowy floral dressing; making everyone, including Caitlyn, laugh. Eventually her parents left. Caitlyn stared out into the vast cliffs beyond the meadow, Arthur came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She turned her head and pressed her lips against his. Caitlyn closed her eyes, this was the happiest Caitlyn had felt in a long time.

Caitlyn opened her eyes. She was facing Arthur who was smiling at her from across the aisle.

She sat up and checked her tablet. The brain map on it was lighting up green, they completed the job. She collected her wireless transmitter and tablet and placed them into her grey case. She pulled out the book in the case and read it.

To Caitlyn, may you find your way back to reality no matter where you hack. Your Friend Always, Mallorie.

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose…  
She was in reality. She put the book away as she got up and crouched by Arthur

"Did you have a good dream?" He whispered

"Yes. A happy one" Caitlyn whispered back kissing him on the cheek.

She glanced over to Dominick, who has seen her kiss Arthur before taking her seat. Caitlyn saw Saito sit up and dial from personal phones. About 20 minutes later the plane landed and was taxied to its terminal. The team departed separately, pretending not to know each other, except for Caitlyn and Arthur, who were holding hands as they walked toward customs. They were in line in front of Dominick, they both made it through easily. Caitlyn waited once they were on the other side, she wanted to make sure that Saito held up his end of the arrangement. She watched Dominick walk up to the counter and hand his passport over. She was getting nervous. The customs officer handed Dominick back his passport.

"Welcome home Mr. Cobb." Caitlyn heard the officer say.

Dominick made it through, Saito had held up in end of the arrangement. They just had to get out of the airport with Robert suspecting nothing about the team. Arthur got a cart to collect Caitlyn's and his were a few people a head of Dominick as they exited baggage claim. Caitlyn's mother, father, and sister where waiting for them outside right behind Dominick's father - in - law. Caitlyn ran up and hugged them. She introduced Arthur to her sister as Dominick walked by. Caitlyn glanced at him and quickly smiled, she saw Mal's father pick up Dominick's luggage and walk out to the parked cars. Caitlyn and Arthur got into her parents town car as her father put their luggage into the trunk. Caitlyn's mother, father and sister also got into the car and the driver pulled away from the curb.

"Welcome to Los Angeles Arthur" Caitlyn's father said to Arthur

"Thank you Mr. Johnson." Arthur said as he looked to Caitlyn.


	22. A Job Well Done

Chapter 22 - A Job Well Done

They arrived at Caitlyn's parent's house, a large spacious mansion, on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Caitlyn and Arthur settled into the guest house in the backyard of the estate. They were in the house for several hours when the phone rang.

Caitlyn answered it, "Hello?"

"Caitlyn it is me" Dominick's voice replied

"Dom. How are James and Phillipa? Why are you calling?" Caitlyn asked

"James and Phillipa are fine. They miss their godmother and godfather." Dominick started, "I am calling about what you said to Arthur inside Fischer's dream."

"Oh?" Caitlyn's voice could not hide concern

"I am really happy for the both of you. I wish you told me sooner, that way we could have celebrated the two of you sooner." Dominick laughed, "I figured there was something between the two of you for the past year and half."

"I guess we didn't want to you feel hurt or betrayed by us" Caitlyn answered.

"I wouldn't have. You two are really good for each other… Anyway Caitlyn I have to go, dinner is ready. Bye" Dominick said

"Bye" Caitlyn responded before she heard a dial tone

Caitlyn put down the phone. Arthur walked into the room carrying two plates with steak on them.

"Who was that?" He asked placing the plates down at the dinner table

"Dom" Caitlyn answered taking a seat.

"What did he want?" Arthur continued as he cut some of his meat.

"To congratulate us for finding each other." Caitlyn said before taking a bit of her steak.

The next day Caitlyn invited Ariadne to go shopping with her.

"Enjoying LA?" Caitlyn asked as they walked down the street

"Yeah. It is nice." Ariadne said looking around at all the sights.

Ariadne and Caitlyn shopped for hours. Afterwards, Caitlyn dropped Ariadne off at her hotel.

"Ariadne, I am glad you took the job." Caitlyn said from the back seat.

"Me too" Ariadne answered with a smile.

Caitlyn's driver drove away. That night Arthur and Caitlyn were invited by Eames to have dinner with him, Yusuf, Ariadne, and Dominick. "As of today, Robert Fischer announced that he was going to dissolve Fischer Marrow" Caitlyn said reading the headline from her tablet.

"I propose a toast to a job well done" Eames said raising his glass.

"Here, here" the rest of the group responded.

As they all sat around telling stories about what happened during the job. Arthur stopped talking, which cause the rest of the group to look at him.

"I want to propose a toast to friends, family, and love" Arthur said raising his glass

"Here, here" the rest of the group answered back.

"And to Caitlyn," Arthur fished around in his pocket and pulled out a velvet box, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Caitlyn said getting up. As Arthur put the ring on her finger she kissed him.  
The group roared with praise.

"Let's see the ring" Eames said giving a nod to Arthur.

Caitlyn held out her hand to show off the ring.

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing. The sky was lightening when they group said their goodbyes. Arthur and Caitlyn walked hand in hand to the car. They got into the front seat and Arthur drove them away.


	23. A Wedding and The Epilogue

Chapter 23 - A Wedding and The Epilogue

For months Caitlyn could do nothing else but show off the ring and plan her wedding. After they bought their own house in LA, Caitlyn focused all her energy into planning a gorgeous and exciting wedding that would be a very happy day for the both of them. Caitlyn's mother helped with the planning. Arthur was happy to see Caitlyn focused on something other than research for a job. Arthur and Caitlyn were married three months after he proposed to her. Caitlyn didn't want to wait, after what she went through with David, Arthur understood. The gang was in attendance, along with Caitlyn's family, Arthur's family, and other important people Caitlyn's mother thought would be critical to have a wedding. Caitlyn's dress was simple but very elegant. Caitlyn's father walked her down the aisle. Dominick was standing by Arthur, as his best man. The ceremony was traditional but fun. The reception was full of dancing and laughs. After the reception Arthur and Caitlyn said their goodbyes to the gang and their families as they boarded a private jet to their honeymoon destination. They spend three weeks on a private pristine beach surrounded by tropical beauty. One day Caitlyn was tanning when her tablet began ringing. She looked at it, Dominick's picture appeared on the screen. She swiped the screen, Dominick face appeared on screen.

"What, Dom? I'm on my honeymoon?" Caitlyn spoke

"I need your help to do some deep web searching for jobs." Dominick said

"What do you need?" Caitlyn sighed, she broke her promise to Arthur not to work during their honeymoon.

"A way to run a deep web search." Dominick responded

Caitlyn tapped on her tablet

"Done, it should show up on your screen. Don't worry about traces. The signal is being bumped off every continent." Caitlyn said laying her head back down on her towel.

"Thanks Mrs. Jones" Dominick teased

"Bye Dom" Caitlyn said as she tapped her screen, which went black.

Their three week honeymoon was over too quickly. They were traveling back to the states. Dominick picked them up at the airport to give them other job. Which was completed in less than two week, extraction was easier when Mal or David were not interfering.

Five months later Caitlyn got the surprise of her life. She was pregnant with twins. Nine months later Arthur and Caitlyn welcomed Mallorie and Victorie Jones into the world. Dominick was named their godfather, Ariadne was named their godmother. Having kids did not stop Arthur or Caitlyn from helping Ariadne, Eames and Dominick from completing extraction jobs. In fact their children made them better at their jobs, if that was even possible. Caitlyn wouldn't over work herself and Arthur became a little more creative. They, especially Caitlyn, seemed to be very happy and they were. Because what is more resilient than an idea that destroys you is an idea that defines you, even if you don't want to admit the idea to yourself. When Caitlyn and Arthur finally admitted their feelings for each other they became an unbreakable couple, who were truly and forever in love with each other. Saito was right, they were lucky to have found each other. After many successful jobs both for Cobol and other outside contracts, Dominick maintained his assertion that he was the best extractor in the business and moved his team's headquarters to LA, Yusuf was hired by Dominick to be the teams chemist, Ariadne finished her Master's degree and became the architect for Dominick's team, Eames bought an apartment in LA and became the team's permanent forger, Arthur continued to be the best point man for the team and Caitlyn became known the team's astro projecting hacker, the only one of her kind.


End file.
